Ascendi’s “Road Safety Action Plan 2022-2023” was awarded the Global Road Achievement Awards (GRAA) 2023 as the best project in the “Safety” category, having been recognised for its outstanding combination of Innovation, Technology and Policies to reduce road accident victims.

This distinction is awarded by the International Road Federation, a 75-year-old global non profit organisation global based in Washington DC USA, which supports a vast network of its member entities form over 70 countries, both public and private,  by providing resources, services, and education in the road sector.
The Global Road Achievement Awards are one of the most prestigious awards in the road industry worldwide.

 

Ascendi’s Road Safety Action Plan 2020-2023 focuses on the three critical moments of an accident – “before”, “during” and “after” its occurrence – and includes 13 measures, including studies, diagnoses, infrastructure improvements, monitoring automation and road prevention awareness campaigns.

 

One of the main measures in this Plan is the ‘Safety Barrier Replacement Programme’, which has made it possible to raise the safety level of the Ascendi network by replacing 234 km of barriers. With an investment of more than 18 M€, this included developing, testing and producing a new product to meet the specific needs of the bridges and viaducts on the national road network.

 

Also noteworthy were the awareness campaigns, one aimed at children, warning of the risks of driving with mobile phones, and another on adopting safe behaviour near work areas.

 

The preliminary results of the ‘Ascendi Road Safety Action Plan’ are very encouraging since, despite the 4% increase in traffic, the number of victims in 2022 was 23% lower than in 2019. For 2023, with the information available at the moment, the target of a 5% annual reduction in road accident victims is expected to be met.

Watch the vídeo here.

 

This is the second time Ascendi has been honoured at the GRAA.
In 2017, the SustIMS (Sustainable Infrastructure Management System) platform was the winner in the “Asset Preservation & Maintenance Management” category.