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MEDIA RELEASE EMBARGO: September 12, 2023 6am EST, 11am UK time, 5pm Vietnam, 8pm Brisbane<\/em><\/p>\n Download full media release here\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), iRAP\u2019s Star Rating for Schools and AiRAP partnerships will be scaled up to provide 3-star or better journeys to school and address road traffic crashes that are the leading cause of death among children and young people worldwide.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>United Kingdom, September 12, 2023\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 The\u00a0International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP)<\/a>\u00a0is receiving USD$2 million in grant funding and additional support from Google\u2019s philanthropic arm,\u00a0Google.org,<\/a>\u00a0to provide children with a safer journey to school.<\/p>\n Road traffic crashes are the leading cause of death among children and young people worldwide. Over 100,000 people are killed or suffer life-changing injuries on the world\u2019s roads every day. To address this issue the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 strives to halve road deaths and injuries by 2030 and Member States have agreed on voluntary targets to improve road infrastructure safety to the iRAP 3-star or better global standard.<\/p>\n \u201cThe AI enabled\u00a0Star Rating for Schools<\/a>\u00a0partnership with Google.org is a global game-changer that will support sustainable mobility for youth and contribute to at least eight of the UN Global Goals,\u201d\u00a0iRAP CEO, Rob McInerney said.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWe know that children are approximately 20 times more likely to be killed or injured on a 1-star road compared to a 5-star road. By using artificial intelligence to identify high-risk 1- and 2-star roads that children use on their journey to school we can identify known hazards and mobilise evidence-based upgrades that will save children\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Using AI, satellite imagery and Street-View images to detect road safety risks, iRAP, together with partners\u00a0AIP Foundation<\/a>,\u00a0Anditi<\/a>\u00a0and the University of Zagreb (FPZ<\/a>,\u00a0FER<\/a>), will provide a country-wide star rating evaluation of road infrastructure around schools in Vietnam and support the upgrades at the highest-risk schools. The\u00a0YEA Youth Engagement App<\/a>\u00a0will also be used to capture student perceptions of the risks they face to inform decision- making.<\/p>\n \u201cRoad safety is not only an under-represented public health crisis, it also impacts peoples\u2019 ability to access education, health, well-being and job opportunities,\u201d says\u00a0James Bradford, iRAP\u2019s Global Technical Director.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWith AI and big data, we maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of the Star Rating process to allow governments to save time and resources.\u201d<\/p>\n As a charity, iRAP\u2019s vision is for a world free of high-risk roads for all road users. Through iRAP\u2019s global Star Rating for Schools and\u00a0AiRAP partnerships<\/a>\u00a0the project has the potential to scale to other countries and inform new policies and investment in pedestrian-friendly roads that will minimize preventable harm.<\/p>\n \u201cOur ultimate dream is to Star Rate every road on earth and ensure every journey is safer. Achieving the UN target for more than 75% of travel on 3-star or better roads will help save over 100 million deaths and injuries over the life of the upgrades. The Google.org partnership is a big safe step in that direction,\u201d Mr McInerney said.<\/p>\n Google.org\u2019s AI for the Global Goals Impact Challenge<\/a>\u00a0is part of Google\u2019s company-wide commitment to help accelerate progress towards the UN\u2019s Sustainable Development Goals. iRAP is one of 15 organizations receiving support through the $25 million philanthropy challenge for projects that use artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate progress towards these goals. Out of many submitted proposals, 15 were selected for funding. Importantly, all of the projects will be open-sourced, so other organizations can build upon the work.<\/p>\n \u201cEach of the 15 selected organizations share our vision for using AI to accelerate progress on the United Nations\u2019 Sustainable Development Goals, and each organization brings their own expertise to help move the needle,\u201d said\u00a0James Manyika, Google\u2019s SVP of Research, Technology and Society<\/strong>. \u201cWe are inspired by the possibilities they see for how AI can be harnessed to help people solve societal problems, and are excited about the collective impact they will have over the next three years.\u201d<\/p>\n To stay abreast of progress in this exciting project, subscribe for news\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n For more information:<\/p>\n \u2013 Ends \u2013<\/p>\n Download full media release here\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n For iRAP Project:<\/u> Rob McInerney<\/strong>, CEO (based Brisbane, Australia) Phong Le<\/strong>, Country Manager, AIP Foundation (based Vietnam) Shanna Lucchesi,<\/strong>\u00a0Project Manager (Portuguese and Spanish speaking) For Google specific enquiries:<\/u><\/p>\n Katherine Williams<\/strong>, Communications and Public Affairs Manager iRAP is a registered charity with a vision for a world free of high-risk roads, influencing road infrastructure safety in more than 170 countries. iRAP and its partners work with governments, development banks, mobility clubs, industry, research organisations, road safety NGOs, the United Nations and research organisations to provide evidence-based tools, training and support to help them make their roads safe. iRAP\u2019s road safety Star Rating Methodology is free to use and provides a simple and objective measure of the level of safety which is \u2018built-in\u2019 to the road for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. A 1-star road is the least safe and a 5-star road is the safest. iRAP works with partners to: inspect high-risk roads and develop Star Ratings, Risk Maps and Safer Roads Investment Plans; provide training, tools, and support that will build and sustain national, regional, and local capability; and track road safety performance so that funding agencies can assess the life-saving and economic benefits of their investments. iRAP and its partners have Star Rated nearly 1.5 million kilometres of roads and designs, and 1,229 schools, influencing the safety of USD$100 billion of infrastructure investment.<\/p>\n Nearly 1.8 million km have been risk mapped and over 63,350 people have been trained globally. iRAP Safety Insights Explorer (https:\/\/irap.org\/safety-insights-explorer\/<\/a>) sheds a light on the human and economic impact of road crashes, how safe our roads are, and the Business Case for Safer Roads in countries and the world.<\/p>\n\n
Media enquiries:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
James Bradford,<\/strong>\u00a0Global Technical Director (based UK)
Mob: +44 7823 322 931 Email:james.bradford@irap.org<\/a><\/p>\n
Mob: +61 405 493 030 Email:rob.mcinerney@irap.org<\/a><\/p>\n
Mob: +84 98 997 36 89 Email:phong.le@aipf-vietnam.org<\/a><\/p>\n
Mob: +351 911 569 543 Email:shanna.lucchesi@irap.org<\/a><\/p>\n
Email:\u00a0kwill@google.com<\/a><\/p>\nAbout the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP)<\/strong><\/h4>\n