What Road Safety Foundation UK does

The Road Safety Foundation is a UK-registered charity (No. 295573) and Company Limited by Guarantee (No. 02069723), founded in 1986 and operating independently since 2007. It leads the United Kingdom Road Assessment Programme applying the iRAP (International Road Assessment Programme) methodology across Britain and the Channel Islands, and serves as the UK sister charity to the global iRAP initiative. The Foundation's core products are Crash Risk Mapping (an annual network-wide risk publication covering 45,000 km of motorways and A roads), the Route Review Tool (a web application with 170+ engineering interventions and 22 speed-management countermeasures), and a portfolio of Star Rating tools for Designs (SR4D), Schools (SR4S), and cycling infrastructure (CycleRAP). These tools operate on structured road-attribute data (50+ descriptors coded every 100 metres) combined with predictive statistical modelling to produce Star Ratings, Fatal and Serious Injury (FSI) estimates, and Safer Roads Investment Plans. The Foundation is the only provider of systematic, network-wide proactive road-safety risk assessment in Britain.

The Foundation operates on a non-commercial revenue model funded primarily by government grants and contracts (Department for Transport, National Highways, Welsh Government, Government of Jersey), trust and foundation grants (Road Safety Trust), and fee-based training and professional services delivered in-person and online. The Crash Risk Mapping tool is provided free to local authorities. Customers are exclusively public-sector road authorities at national, devolved, Crown Dependency and local levels, including National Highways, Welsh Government, Government of Jersey, Kent County Council and Essex County Council. Distribution is direct and consultative, with training programmes and an interactive mapping portal functioning as bottom-of-funnel channels. Strategic positioning is anchored in the Safe System approach, supporting the Safer Roads Fund (£100m initial 2016 + £95m 2023-2024) and policy integration across UK road-safety governance.

Name

Road Safety Foundation UK

Legal name

Road Safety Foundation

Website

https://roadsafetyfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Road Safety Foundation is a UK charity that leads the UK Road Assessment Programme applying iRAP methodology, providing Crash Risk Mapping, Star Ratings and Route Review Tool services to the Department for Transport, National Highways, devolved governments and local road authorities across Britain and the Channel Islands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Road Safety Assessment and Research Services

NAICS

Other Support Activities for Road Transportation (488490)

akta.pro primary industry

Road Safety Audits, Engineering & Data Analytics Services (RSA, Blackspot Analysis, Vision Zero Programs) (TLAJAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Traffic Systems & Road Safety Infrastructure (Signals, ITS, Barriers, Signage, Markings) (IMAFAEAI), School Zone & Child Safety Systems (School Zone Flashers, Crossing Control, Speed Enforcement) (TLAJAGAJ)

Keywords

• Road safety assessment
• Crash risk mapping
• IRAP methodology
• Safer roads investment
• Transport safety research

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Contracts: Primary funding from government sources including Department for Transport, with grants for specific programmes such as the Safer Roads Fund implementation support.
2. Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from trusts such as the Road Safety Trust for specific research projects, including the neurodivergent children research initiative.
3. Training and Professional Services: Fee-based training programmes including Introduction to iRAP, Route Review Tool training, Safe System courses, and workshops for road safety practitioners and engineers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Road Safety Foundation leads the UK Road Assessment Programme applying iRAP methodology, producing annual Crash Risk Mapping for motorways and A roads and operating web-based tools (Route Review Tool, Star Rating for Designs, Star Rating for Schools, CycleRAP) that enable road authorities to identify high-risk infrastructure and prioritise cost-effective safety interventions. It supplements these tools with professional training, the Safer Roads Fund programme supporting local authorities, research publications, and bespoke technical assistance to government clients across the UK and Channel Islands.

Product overview

Road Safety Foundation UK operates a unified platform of road safety assessment and improvement tools centred on the iRAP (International Road Assessment Programme) methodology. The core portfolio includes Crash Risk Mapping for national risk identification and the Route Review Tool for developing targeted safety improvements, complemented by specialized Star Rating tools for Designs (SR4D), Schools (SR4S), and cycling infrastructure (CycleRAP). The organisation supports these tools through the Safer Roads Fund programme, Safe System Fatal Review Panels for incident analysis, the Older Drivers Task Force initiative, and professional training services. Together, these products form an integrated Safe System-aligned approach to eliminating road deaths and serious injuries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• United Kingdom RAP: United Kingdom Road Assessment Programme led by Road Safety Foundation, assessing safety of motorways and A-roads in the UK
• iRAP in the UK

Products and services

• Crash Risk Mapping Annual risk mapping of Britain's motorway and A road network producing colour-coded maps of crash density and crash rate (classified into five bands), identifying the highest-risk routes for investment prioritisation and indicative benefit-cost ratios for candidate safety schemes, used by central and local government road authorities and the wider road safety community.
• Route Review Tool (RRT) Web-based application for road safety engineers to translate iRAP assessment results into actionable engineering interventions, providing access to over 170 countermeasures (including 22 speed management treatments), User Defined Investment Plans and integration with Google StreetView imagery, used to develop business cases for road authority clients.
• Star Rating for Designs (SR4D) Evidence-based process for objectively measuring and improving safety built into road designs for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists before civil works commence, based on uploaded design drawings in a GIS system, used by highway designers and road authorities.
• Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) Award-winning programme generating 1–5 star evidence-based safety ratings at spot locations around schools based on road features and traffic, used to prioritise rapid, life-saving interventions on school routes by local authorities and partners.
• CycleRAP Fast, cost-effective tool for evaluating safety of road and cycling infrastructure, producing risk scores for cyclists and light mobility users along with prioritised improvement recommendations, used by road authorities and active travel planners.
• Safe System Fatal Review Panels Multidisciplinary structured service for examining road traffic fatalities to identify system failures and recommend prevention actions under the Safe System approach, commissioned by road safety partnerships and authorities in the UK.
• Training Courses Fee-based professional training portfolio including Introduction to iRAP, Route Review Tool mastery, Safe System fundamentals, Crash Risk Mapping utilisation, Development Planning with iRAP, Star Rating for Designs and Expert User certification, delivered to road safety engineers and practitioners from local authorities, consultancies and central government.

Quantifiable outcome

• Safer Roads Fund programme: 2,700 deaths and serious injuries prevented over 20 years with benefit-cost ratio of 5.3
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• iRAP (International Road Assessment Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRSF is the UK sister charity to iRAP and leads the United Kingdom Road Assessment Programme. Working closely with sister charity iRAP, RSF delivers strategic direction, ensures technical excellence, and drives development of tools, training, research, and advocacy for the global iRAP initiative.
• National HighwayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for performance monitoring of England's Strategic Road Network. National Highways uses iRAP Star Ratings as lead safety indicators in RIS 1 and RIS 2. RSF provides expertise and ongoing support for proactive, evidence-led approach to safety programmes.
• Welsh GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting adoption of Safe System Approach in Wales. RSF provides technical expertise, data analysis, and tailored research to shape next steps for the Strategic Road Network in Wales.
• Government of JerseycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRSF instrumental in Jersey's transition to Safe System Approach, supporting creation of comprehensive risk map using iRAP and demonstrating how to maximise impact on casualty reduction. Has adopted safety gap as an indicator in their Casualty Reduction Plan.
• Department for TransportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose working relationship providing leadership and technical expertise on national programmes and policy, including developing business case and methodologies for the Safer Roads Fund.
• Kent County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership where RSF iRAP approach was instrumental in beginning journey towards proactive risk reduction and Vision Zero. RSF supports Road Safety work to drive forward safety improvements.
• Essex County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRSF supported design of two major iRAP identified and funded schemes, provided training across multiple levels of organisation. Approach adopted in highest-level policies with zero road deaths target by 2040.
• AgilysisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for delivery of Introduction to the Safe System course (2 days in-person), combining RSF expertise with Agilysis capabilities.
• University College London Centre for Transport StudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in neurodivergent children road safety project, bringing expertise in transport studies and child mobility.
• Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre for DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in neurodivergent children project, providing expertise in inclusive design approaches.
• RAC FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in neurodivergent children project, contributing road safety expertise.
• Oxfordshire County CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner in neurodivergent children research project, helping connect research with local context.
• Safer Roads Greater ManchesterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional road safety partnership partner in neurodivergent children project, providing local authority perspective.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• WSP Global: Global engineering consultancy with a road safety and active travel practice serving road authorities. Comparable customer base and complementary capability to RSF but as part of a much broader infrastructure services portfolio.
• TRL (Transport Research Laboratory): UK-based, much larger transport and road safety research organisation covering infrastructure, vehicles and behaviour. Comparable customer set (government, road authorities) but with a far broader services portfolio.
• Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA): UK-established road and general safety charity providing advocacy, training and advisory services. Overlaps with RSF on road safety policy, training and stakeholder engagement but operates across all accident categories.

Direct peers

• Agilysis: UK road safety data analytics specialist and named RSF partner (delivers Introduction to the Safe System course). Overlaps directly with RSF on crash risk mapping and benchmarked safety analytics for local authorities.
• iRAP (International Road Assessment Programme): Global umbrella charity that owns the iRAP methodology on which RSF's tools are built. RSF is its UK sister organisation and leads UK programme delivery, making iRAP the closest functional and methodological peer.
• EuroRAP: European sister programme to iRAP applying the same Star Rating and risk mapping methodology across European road networks. Closely comparable mission, methodology and stakeholder mix to RSF.

Regional players

• AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety: US not-for-profit traffic safety research and advocacy organisation. Comparable as a charity-funded road safety research and stakeholder-facing body, but focused on the United States.
• SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research: Dutch national road safety research institute producing evidence-based advice, data analysis and policy support. Highly comparable in mission and methodology emphasis, but primarily serves the Netherlands rather than the UK.
• usRAP: US national programme applying the same iRAP Star Rating methodology to American roads. Closely comparable methodology and outputs to RSF, but serving a different national jurisdiction.
• AusRAP: Australian national RAP applying iRAP Star Ratings and risk mapping to the country's road network. Same methodology family as RSF and a like-for-like national delivery model, but operating in Australia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/road-safety-foundation-uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Road Safety Foundation UK