448 Star rating for schools (SR4S): a new approach in enhancing road safety infrastructure in Nepal

In the last fiscal year, around 2,883 individuals lost their lives in road crashes, amounting to approximately 8 deaths per day. Nepal has recently updated its National Road Safety Action Plan for the period 2021–2030, with the aim of reducing the road crashes, fatalities, and serious injuries observed in recent years. The action plan emphasizes the need for safer road infrastructure for all road users, highlighting road safety audits and star ratings as key areas for improvement. Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) is an evidence-based tool for measuring, managing and communicating the risk children are exposed to on a journey to school. The current study aims to evaluate road safety scenarios around the two schools. Guru Jajur Secondary School in Dang and Shree Saraswati Secondary School in Jhapa, both near the national highway, are selected for the star rating assessment mainly due to their enrollment of blind and physically impaired students, prioritizing their safety. An evaluation was conducted in both schools on 39 factors associated with the road environments, type of roads, their attributes, school zones, footpaths, intersections, traffic volume, curves, and speed-related properties near school gates where children might come into face with vehicles. The initial assessment indicates that Guru Jajur School has a 1-star rating with a 94.15 risk score, while Shree Saraswati Higher School has 2 stars with a 59.94 risk score. The study further aims to enhance the safety star rating of schools to a five-star rating in the future. As a result, several interventions have been proposed, including but not limited to, improving markings and signs, providing street lighting, enhancing speed limits, implementing speed calming measures, and introducing crossing supervisors. There has been coordination among the road division, municipalities, traffic police, and SSTN to implement and supervise these interventions, and post-assessments of star rating. Thus, the Star Rating for Schools is a useful tool for assessing road safety around schools. It also provides a framework for evaluating and planning improvements in road safety by enhancing roads.