Among the 18 projects received, 9 focused on driver education through training programmes and awareness campaigns:

• AUTOMOBILE CLUB D’ITALIA (Italy) — e-Scooter Safe Driving Course 
• FÉDÉRATION AUTOMOBILE D’UKRAINE — Intensive Emergency Training for Internally Displaced Female Drivers 
• AUTOCLUB OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC — Regular Emergency Services Driver Training 
• HELLENIC RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE ‘PANOS MYLONAS’ FOR THE ROAD SAFETY AND THE PREVENTION/REDUCTION OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS (Greece) — Launch of Online Learning Platform
• TURKIYE TURING VE OTOMOBIL KURUMU (Turkey) — Safe Motorcyclist Training Project 
• AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION OF KENYA — Safe & Affordable Helmet Campaign

• MOTORCYCLE AND AUTOMOBILE FEDERATION OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN — Educating Driving Skills 
• TOURING AND AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN — Road Safety Ambassador Programme
• CANADIAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION — Do it all Before you Drive

More detail on the projects is below:

• AUTOMOBILE CLUB D’ITALIA (Italy) — e-Scooter Safe Driving Course 

Although the number of e-scooters on Italian roads is extremely low compared to other types of vehicles, 2,101 crashes related to this new form of mobility occurred in 2021 (vs 554 in 2020) and this figure is expected to raise in the upcoming years. To tackle this issue, the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) has developed a training course dedicated to e-scooter drivers. The ‘e-scooter Safe Driving Course’, which includes theoretical and practical sessions, aims to raise participants’ awareness of responsible driving, inform them about the expected performance of e-scooters’ technical features and teach them appropriate driving techniques. Among the messages promoted in the theoretical session is the need to share the road respectfully with other road users. For this training, ACI has partnered with one of the biggest e-scooter sharing companies. E-scooters used for the courses are charged through the ACI Vallelunga circuit’s solar power system, whose production exceeds by 30% the energy needed for the circuit’s regular operations. 96 participants took part in the training during the first year, 301 during the second year (up to present) and two more courses are scheduled in Florence and Varese by the end of 2022. In 2022, ACI has started to offer e-scooter safe driving courses to companies. 

• FÉDÉRATION AUTOMOBILE D’UKRAINE — Intensive Emergency Training for Internally Displaced Female Drivers 

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many people were forced to leave their cities and move to safer regions. In some cases, women had to get behind the wheel despite insufficient driving skills, as it was the only chance for them to save their lives and the ones of their relatives. To tackle this issue, the Fédération Automobile d’Ukraine (FAU) has delivered intensive emergency training for these internally displaced female drivers. The programme started in three regions of Ukraine (Poltava, Dnipro and Cherkasy) and over 40 women have participated so far. Training is provided by FAU-certified instructors, including experienced motor sport drivers, and multiple Ukrainian champions in various motor sport disciplines. It is conducted within the framework of the humanitarian programme of the FAU, which operates with the support of Hrvatski Autoklub (HAK Croatia), and builds on the ‘Training for the drivers to ensure road safety in emergency conditions’ project, supported by the FIA Road Safety Grants Programme. This training will be expanded to other parts of Ukraine to respond to the high interest and demand. 

• AUTOCLUB OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC — Regular Emergency Services Driver Training 

In the Czech Republic, Emergency Medical Services (ZZS) drivers do not get any driving training, and their onboarding process mainly focuses on medical information. To tackle this issue, the Autoclub of the Czech Republic (ACCR) launched a Regular Emergency Services Driver Training in September 2021, involving 480 ZZS drivers from two regions. The training was extended to two other regions and 480 new drivers in 2022. ACCR’s ambition is to train all 2,200 ZZS Czech drivers, ensure they get regular and systematic driving training and ultimately, develop similar projects in other countries. The training is two-fold: the theoretical part focuses on legislation and basic defensive driving techniques, including the specifics of vehicles with the right of way over other vehicles, and it is complemented with road traffic and driving psychology modules. The practical part includes a demonstration of the forces acting when a vehicle is overturned by means of a rotation simulator. It also teaches drivers how to deal with crisis situations, improve their driving skills and get familiar with the vehicle’s behaviour in extreme situations. ACCR’s project also includes the organisation of a national competition of ZZS crews where representatives from all regional emergency services are invited to test their skills in four disciplines – slalom, accuracy, tyre fitting and road traffic knowledge. The competition will welcome ZZS drivers from foreign countries in 2023. 

• HELLENIC RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE ‘PANOS MYLONAS’ FOR THE ROAD SAFETY AND THE PREVENTION/REDUCTION OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS (Greece) — Launch of Online Learning Platform

Road Safety Institute (RSI) ‘Panos Mylonas’ has recently developed an online asynchronous learning platform entitled ‘Road Safety Academy’ with the target of building a culture of safe mobility in Greece. Trainees can choose among three courses and complete them at their own pace. Course #1, targeting drivers of private vehicles, focuses on the frequent causes of traffic crashes. Course #2, targeting the parents, includes useful information on the ability of children to follow traffic rules and guidelines to ensure their safety as pedestrians, cyclists and passengers of a vehicle. Course #3 targets novice drivers who are statistically more prone to be involved in road traffic crashes. Each course includes educational material, references for further study, a quiz, a course evaluation form and a certificate of completion. The e-learning platform has been conceived to be replicable to other regions and countries. RSI Panos Mylonas estimates that 2,000 people will be trained during the platform’s first year of operation. 

• TURKIYE TURING VE OTOMOBIL KURUMU (Turkey) — Safe Motorcyclist Training Project 

With this project, Turkiye Turing ve Otomobil Kurumu (TTOK) offers free-of-charge theoretical safe driving training to a wide audience, including couriers who are motorcycle users or are interested in motorcycle use. The three-hour training course focuses on safe motorcycle driving techniques and the use of correct safety equipment, especially certified helmets. Upon successful completion of the course, the participants receive a package that includes a Certificate of Participation, a high visibility vest, a motorcycle travel guide book, a motorcycle handbook and a moto-courier's handbook. So far, more than 1,000 training sessions have taken place and more than 23,000 people have been reached. Apart from the training, TTOK is organising stakeholders’ meetings and workshops to encourage national helmet production. TTOK will also publish informative videos on road safety and helmet use on social media. As an interesting development, Turkey’s Highway Traffic Regulation has been updated and it is now compulsory for those who use motorcycles, electric bicycles and scooters to wear reflective clothes. 

• AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION OF KENYA — Safe & Affordable Helmet Campaign

The Automobile Association of Kenya (AA Kenya) joined forces with the various county governments in Kenya and with associations of Kenyan bodaboda riders to raise awareness of the importance of wearing not only a helmet but a safe one to reduce deadly crashes. The project included training sessions for bodaboda riders on how to stay safe on Kenyan roads and how to choose a safe helmet, with the aim to foster a demand-driven change in favour of safer helmets. As part of the campaign, Road Safety Ambassadors named ‘AA Safe Riders’ were appointed to continue to advocate on the importance of always wearing a helmet and adopting safe riding practices within their SACCOs (Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies, in which bodaboda riders have to be registered as required by the government). The campaign also comprised a donation of safe and affordable helmets to bodaboda riders thanks to the FIA and the Hungarian government. 

• MOTORCYCLE AND AUTOMOBILE FEDERATION OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN — Educating Driving Skills 

Improved driving skills at the wheel are key to contribute to making roads safer and reducing the number of crashes both on the road and on the track. The Motorcycle and Automobile Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (MAFIRI) launched the Educating Driving Skills programme to teach safe driving skills to everyday and professional drivers. The curriculum is organised around three educational levels for 16-year-olds and above: 1- Primary skills; 2- Semi-professional skills; 3- Professional skills. Upon the invitation of the MAFIRI’s Academy, experienced car racing coaches who were national champions of Iran were recruited to design and deliver the content. The programme aims to increase the general skills of drivers on the roads drawing on the experience of professional racing drivers to develop special driving abilities, such as the one to focus on what’s coming ahead and adapt to the road conditions, which are great assets for everyday drivers to stay safe on the roads. Other goals are to identify and attract motor sport enthusiasts and talents, and, specifically for the professional course, deliver specialised training for drivers participating in races. Launched in February 2022 for a period of six months, the programme has been delivered to 1,000 participants. 

• TOURING AND AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN — Road Safety Ambassador Programme

To promote road safety, the Touring and Automobile Club of the Islamic Republic of Iran (TACI) has launched its Road Safety ‘Ambassadors Programme’. As part of the programme, volunteers who complete safe driving training are granted the title of road safety ‘ambassadors’ and are invited to contribute to raising awareness of road safety by serving as an example. By creating a sense of duty and empowerment among regular citizens, the programme aims to reduce fatalities on the Iranian roads. Since the programme was launched in August 2021, 4,000 ambassadors have been nominated and in October 2022, TACI was selected as the “Pre-eminent Partner” of the Iranian Traffic Police for implementation of their “Road Safety Decade”. The programme has been a tremendous tool for membership attraction and retention. TACI members who become ambassadors receive a specific membership card mentioning their distinction and become part of a national Road Safety Ambassadors Club. TACI has followed up with the launch of a national awareness campaign, “80 Million Ambassadors”, whose ambitious goal is to incentivise every Iranian citizen to become a road safety ambassador. 

• CANADIAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION — Do it all Before you Drive

Recognising that distracted driving is the number one road safety concern for Canadian law enforcement and citizens, the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) created #BeforeYouDrive, a campaign urging drivers to get it all out of the way before leaving the driveway. To build the campaign, CAA conducted in-depth research to understand what was distracting Canadians behind the wheel. In partnership with the Canadian government, CAA created an online campaign and used other tools such as fact sheets and media outreach to get the message out that while not all distractions are avoidable (e.g., a baby crying in the back seat), others are within a driver’s control and should be avoided to stay safe (e.g., programming a GPS while driving). The aim of the campaign was to contribute to a shift in the conversation from “being distracted is bad” to “here are things I can do to limit distractions when I drive.” The campaign’s centrepiece was a video that reached more than 2.6 million Canadians, garnered more than one million completed video views, and attained remarkable ad recall. 

The winner of the FIA President’s Road Safety Award will be announced during the Annual General Assembly on Friday 9 December.   

Click here to read about the other 9 projects submitted by FIA Member Clubs for the Road Safety category.