Portugal has launched a nationwide road safety assessment covering 6,965 kilometres of its strategic road network. The six-month project will use the internationally recognised iRAP methodology to identify infrastructure risks and guide future safety investments.
Portugal’s National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) has partnered with FRED Engineering and Factual to conduct a comprehensive safety assessment of the country’s strategic road network.
The project will examine 6,965 kilometres of roads, including sections of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), motorways and Portugal’s primary road network. The assessment aims to identify infrastructure-related risks before they contribute to fatal or serious crashes.
Road infrastructure risks to be assessed proactively
As part of the project, teams will collect and validate detailed data on road infrastructure and safety features across the national network.
The assessment will examine factors such as road design, intersections, roadside hazards, safety barriers and provisions for different road users. This information will then be used to identify locations where infrastructure may increase the likelihood or severity of crashes.
The internationally recognised iRAP methodology will be applied throughout the project. Infrastructure risk indicators will be combined with historical crash data supplied by ANSR, providing a more complete picture of safety performance across the network.
Based on the findings, road sections will be classified into different risk categories. This will help authorities determine which routes and locations should receive priority for safety improvements.
ANSR staff to receive iRAP and ViDA training
The project will also include technical training for ANSR personnel. Staff will be trained in the iRAP methodology and the use of ViDA, the software platform used to process, analyse and present road safety data.
Technical documentation will also be prepared to support Portugal’s reporting obligations under the European Union’s Road Infrastructure Safety Management Directive.
Data will guide road safety investments
Olivera Rozi, iRAP’s Safer Journeys Lead for Europe, highlighted the importance of combining infrastructure Star Ratings with risk maps based on local crash data.
According to Rozi, this approach will help Portugal identify high-risk road sections more accurately and direct investment towards measures capable of delivering the greatest safety benefits.
The assessment is expected to provide authorities with evidence-based information for decisions involving road design, maintenance and infrastructure upgrades.
Supporting Europe’s Vision Zero targets
The project supports the European Union’s road safety policy framework and its Vision Zero ambition to eliminate road deaths and serious injuries by 2050. An interim target aims to reduce fatalities and serious injuries by 50 per cent by 2030.
Previous partner-led iRAP activities in Portugal have already assessed 10,111 kilometres of roads and road designs, as well as the surroundings of 12 schools.
Portugal is also one of five European countries participating in the EU- and UKRI-funded Connected and Adaptive Maintenance for Safer Urban and Secondary Roads (CAMBER) project, which runs from 2025 to 2027.
The latest assessment is expected to give Portugal a clearer picture of infrastructure-related risks across its strategic road network and support a more systematic, data-driven approach to future safety investments. Read the original iRAP announcement.
