Star Rating

Star Rating is the third 'protocol' of road assessment programmes.

An inspection is undertaken, examining the engineering features of a road link. Engineering features include lane and shoulder width of the road, the presence of safety barriers and the existence of roadside hazards. Each engineering feature contributes to the likelihood or severity of a crash on a road link. Between one and five stars are then awarded to the road link depending on the level of safety which is 'built-in' to the road.

Having published the KiwiRAP Risk Maps in January 2008, the KiwiRAP partners will now look at the process of inspecting New Zealand's roads, assessing their engineering features and awarding a star rating for each road link.

Transit New Zealand has committed funding for the production of star ratings for New Zealand's state highways. The star ratings will be published in 2009.