Road traffic crashes resulting in fatalities and injury are an everyday reality for policing professionals around the world, whether attempting prevention or dealing with what can be a devastating outcome for individuals and their family. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has long been involved in efforts to highlight the issues, promote solutions, and provide direct assistance to its members, partners, and governments as they strive to save lives on the road. With nearly 1.19 million people killed every year on the roads globally according to the latest World Health Organization figures, including more than 42,000 annual traffic-related fatalities in the United States, the need for solutions is pressing.1 Strong leadership at the command level and information sharing of best practices are particularly important for local and national police agencies.
Global Reach
IACP is a partner in the Second United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030), a member of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, and an implementing country partner in the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety. With over 90 percent of global traffic fatalities happening in low- and middle-income countries, IACP-led initiatives on traffic safety are being used around the globe. As part of these efforts, the IACP has spearheaded the establishment of the International Road Police Alliance (IRPA), a resource for police, road safety professionals, and other stakeholders, with the aim of promoting safe mobility and reducing deaths and injuries from road crashes worldwide.
The International Road Policing Alliance Launch
The concept of the IRPA, as well as feedback from U.S. and global professionals, was discussed at the 2022 IACP Impaired Driving and Traffic Safety Conference (IDTS) as well as the 2022 and 2023 IACP Annual Conferences. Based on feedback and a strong demand for such a network, as demonstrated by attendees to these sessions, the IRPA formally launched at the 2024 IDTS in Washington, DC. Backed by a global advisory committee of police and policy experts, the IRPA has a stand-alone website hosting a variety of practical resrources and guidance materials for the policing and policy professional who is working on saving lives on the road and promoting safety mobility. Trevor Hall, cochair of the IRPA said,
“With the IRPA launch, we now have an organization within the IACP dedicated to getting real and practical evidence-led solutions into the hands of police globally to reduce fatalities with best practice road safety interventions. Most importantly of all, we are working to safeguard road users and make sure that they return home safely to their families.”
Among the most important lessons learned internationally in road safety policing has been the importance of using evidence-led strategies, sharing what works, evaluating programs, and providing timely feedback to aid in adjusting practices based on the local conditions in what is already a complex operating environment. Among the many factors affecting road safety policing outcomes at the city, state, national, and global levels include legislation; allocation of police resources to road traffic; the physical roadway environment; equipment use, including enforcement technology; calibration and verification of enforcement devices; proper training; and committed police leadership, among others. With the IACP and IRPA, the commitment is to promote best practice outcomes and draw on expertise across the roadway safety ecosystem, using practical experience in road safety strategy development, speed management, drugged driving/impaired driving enforcement, behavioral change, and any other area affecting the safety of users on the road.
Resources to Help
Importantly, the IRPA website also contains a way to sign up for the IRPA Online Community. Over the coming years, this online platform’s goal is to provide a forum to connect international law enforcement leaders and road safety professionals, giving members a place to pose questions and share resources, ideas, and successes to support comprehensive approaches to enhancing road safety, whether , at the regional, country, or community levels. Perhaps most relevantly, the IRPA website contains a link to ask IACP about potential partnerships and projects that may help members, police professionals, or agencies address a road policing challenge. Daniel Sharp, IRPA chair states, “As a former police chief, I am aware of the high value of having a resource like the IRPA within IACP to make a practical difference to serving professionals who can connect to some of the best advice in the world on road safety.” With its network of road policing and traffic safety experts that include staff, consultants, subject matter experts, and senior law enforcement advisors, IACP—as the world’s largest and oldest policing association—is ideally placed to assist. IACP’s network of professionals can consult with police leaders, not just on a local or national level, but on an international level as well. d
Note:
1 World Health Organization, Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023.
Please cite as
Trevor Hall, “IACP Answers the Road Safety Call: The International Road Policing Alliance,” Police Chief Online, March 19, 2025.
