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A $350,000 funding injection by the Commonwealth Government will boost research and assessment of the safety of Australian roads, NRMA Motoring & Services President, Alan Evans said today.

“Today’s announcement by Minister Jim Lloyd that the Australian Transport Safety Bureau will provide $350,000 in sponsorship to the Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP) is great news,” Mr Evans said.

“This funding will be used by NRMA and other motoring clubs across Australia to continue our innovative research through our AusRAP risk maps.

“These maps provide an assessment on the risk of casualty crashes and overall safety of rural sections of the National Highway System (NHS) in NSW - through easy-to-read colour coded maps.

“With this additional funding we can now also look at broadening the sample of roads we assess to include the Auslink National Network, which includes the Pacific and Great Western Highways.

“We can also increase the value of the AusRAP program by launching the Road Protection Score, which grades the safety features of our roads, the same way we rank the safety of cars on the market.”

Mr Evans said the first AusRAP report was launched by NRMA in Tamworth last year and identified a stretch of the New England Highway outside Tamworth as being at high risk of casualty crashes to motorists.

“AusRAP reports are available to the public and are a valuable resource for motorists, who will be able to identify areas where casualty crashes are prevalent and take extra precaution,” Mr Evans said.

“These reports help NRMA lobby for more road funding through our Better and Safer roads campaigns.

“NRMA and other motoring clubs will spend up to $1 million this year on continuing this research and looking at other opportunities to enhance this important work.

“Today’s funding commitment by Minister Lloyd will help ensure this work will continue.”

Source: National Roads and Motorists Association, Ltd.