James Bradford: Saving Lives and Preventing Injuries on Roads with Technology

Ladderworks is a publishing platform of diverse picture books and online curriculum with the mission to empower over a million kids to become social entrepreneurs. Our current series features interviews by our interplanetary journalist Spiffy with inspiring Social Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders, and Changemakers who are advancing the UN SDGs.

Welcome back! Spiffy here, your interplanetary journalist reporting from Planet Earth with an eye on entrepreneurs working to make this world more equitable. Today I’m super excited to speak with James Bradford, global technical director, International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP).

Spiffy: Welcome James. Let’s jump right in. Tell me, what challenge are you addressing at iRAP?

James: Thanks for having me, Spiffy. Road crashes disproportionately affect youth, as they are the leading cause of death for people aged 5 to 29 years worldwide. The combination of poor road design and conditions near schools, along with the special vulnerability of children, exposes them to daily risks of road injury or death and poor air quality, while also discouraging walking and biking. An estimated 500 children die on the roads every day, more than 10,000 suffer life-changing injuries, and many more are affected by air pollution. A quarter of those who die on the roads are pedestrians and cyclists.

Spiffy: What motivates you to do it?

James: Road deaths and injuries have devastating emotional and financial impacts on families, affecting education, equity, and regional growth worldwide. Addressing these tragedies is not only a moral responsibility but also essential for societal and economic development. Knowing that road deaths are preventable, I believe we all have a role to play in improving road safety—whether through advocacy, policymaking, engineering, or community engagement. Every effort contributes to a larger mission: saving lives and creating a safer, more equitable world.

Spiffy: That’s really inspiring! What would you say is the impact of your work?

James: Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with iRAP tools transforms road safety by enhancing data collection, automating risk assessments, and providing predictive insights to identify high-risk areas and prioritize interventions. AI streamlines processes, such as classifying road features, thereby reducing costs, time, and human error, while enabling large-scale assessments, especially in resource-limited regions. With the tools we are developing, our vision is to rate every road on Earth for its safety—1 star being high risk and 5 stars being low risk—empowering communities with information about safer travel options and equipping decision-makers with prioritized actions to improve safety—particularly around schools.

Spiffy: Tell me about a recent milestone/initiative by you or your org. What impact does that make?

James: We recently developed a methodology called Big Data Screening, which leverages existing big data sources and utilizes AI to scan the entire country of Vietnam. This approach enables us to rank school surroundings based on their risk levels, from highest to lowest, providing critical insights for safety interventions. Creating a road safety risk ranking of schools helps decision-makers allocate resources to areas where interventions are most urgently needed. Improving the environment for students to walk to school not only reduces road fatalities but also has a wide range of positive impacts on the community. These include increased physical activity, higher school attendance, a stronger sense of community, and better care for schools.

Spiffy: Is there anything else you would love to tell our audience?

James: Road safety should always be a priority in decision-making, but when it comes to ensuring students have safe access to school, this should never be up for debate. Our role is to develop the tools and methodologies that make these priorities clear and help engage the community in the process, ensuring that safety for students is always at the forefront of planning and action.

Spiffy: Thanks for speaking with me today, James—it’s been an honor!

James Bradford is the global technical director of the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), with responsibility for the iRAP protocols and tool suite, focusing on the consistent and high-quality delivery of iRAP services around the world. This includes overseeing innovations and development projects, as well as ViDA (the iRAP online analysis tool), and managing the development and maintenance of iRAP-accredited suppliers. (Nominated by Ricki Meyer at Google.org. First published on the Ladderworks website on January 3, 2025.)

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Ladderworks LLC.

© 2025 Ladderworks LLC. Edited by Sujit Kunte. Spiffy’s illustration by Shreyas Navare. For the Ladderworks digital curriculum to help K-3 kids advance the UN SDGs, visit Spiffy's Launchpad: Creative Entrepreneurship Workshops for K-3 Kids and their caregivers here.