State roads now star rated for safety.

Australia’s motoring clubs are drilling further down into Australia’s road networks in the development of its star rating road safety program, the Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP).
The role that roads play in road safety is more important than most people think. The National Road Safety Strategy, agreed to by the Commonwealth and all State and Territorygovernments in 2000, shows that nearly half (332) of the targeted reduction in Australia’s road toll by 2010 – 700 per annum – could be achieved by improving the safety of roads. This is equal to the combined contribution that improvements to vehicle safety and driver behaviour could deliver (333).The Australian Automobile Association and motoring clubs have released star ratings of the AusLink national network over the past two years – some 60% the national highway network is rated three stars or less, which is not acceptable according to the motoring clubs.
These AusRAP star ratings provide a snapshot of the state of Australia’s major highway network – now the motoring clubs are working with State and Territory road agencies to look at the safety of state roads.