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Introduction
Funding Sources & Major Contributors
Research
2009-10 Annual Report
Centers of Excellence Brochure (PDF: 2 MB)
"Owner's Manual" (PDF: 2 MB)
AAA Foundation CEO Bio
Research has shown time and again that most crashes are caused by human error. However, that does not mean that the only way—or the best way—to save lives is to perfect driver behavior and performance and prevent drivers from making mistakes. Despite the best of intentions, all drivers are bound to make mistakes at some point, and this creates an imperative to design roads with safety features that do not allow simple mistakes to lead to permanent disability or death.
The focus of the AAA Foundations research program in road safety is to benchmark the relative safety of roads throughout the country, provide risk-based guidance for safety investments, and drive public demand for safer roads. To accomplish this, we have been pilot testing and expanding usRAP: The United States Road Assessment Program, since 2004. Inspired by and adapted from its sister programs in Europe (EuroRAP) and Australia (AusRAP), usRAP produces color-coded risk maps based on a road’s crash history and star-ratings based on its design features. As a collaborative program with federal, state, and local stakeholders, usRAP has already helped Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, and Florida to improve their safety management programs, and the program is continuing to expand into several more states including Illinois, Kentucky, New Mexico, and Utah.
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