For almost 20 years the Senior Roads Executives Programme at the University of Birmingham has been providing continuing professional development for senior professionals working in the road sector. Supported by the International Road Federation, the course’s road safety module was attended this year by more than 30 senior staff, from Africa, India and other parts of Asia.
The ‘Effective Crash Countermeasures’ module led by iRAP Director Steve Lawson focused on the costs and benefits of measures and their efficacy. It illustrated the difference between Safe System and supporting measures and how attitudes and practice have improved over the past 40 years.
‘There was a huge level of interest and engagement,’ Steve said. ‘The message of the UN Decade of Action is getting through – many of those countries with representatives in Birmingham have conducted iRAP surveys in the past. Others are planning for them. They are now recognising that improving the safety of their road design and layout needs to sit alongside better road safety management, road-user behaviour, safer vehicles and post-crash response.’