September is the month when several countries focus their attention on children’s safety — especially on the road, where they are most vulnerable. The initiative “Together for Child Safety”, which brings together countries from Central and Eastern Europe, unites the efforts of institutions, organizations and civil society with a shared goal — to provide stronger protection for children in the road environment.
In September 2025, this topic will once again be in the spotlight across the region through a joint campaign that sends a clear message of solidarity and commitment to the cause.
The common vision, set at the launch of the Child Safety Week and aligned with the European Commission’s Vision Zero policy, remains unchanged: to reduce accidents through coordinated actions and consistent efforts, with a strong focus on prevention and on building a safer environment for the youngest road users. Children are not just smaller pedestrians or passengers — they perceive the world around them differently and need special care, understanding and protection.
Safety is not a given — it requires effort, attention and constant commitment. Especially when it comes to children. That is why safety will once again be the central theme of the Child Safety Week, marked this year in several EU Member States from Central and Eastern Europe.
Children behave differently from adults in the road environment — they see, hear and perceive the world in their own way, are easily distracted and often react unpredictably. All this makes them particularly vulnerable road users. That is why children need the highest level of protection and support to be as well prepared as possible for a safe life. Yet, serious accidents involving children still occur every day.
Thanks to the significant efforts of the police and road safety authorities, the actions of civil society, infrastructure improvements and technological and digital development across Europe, the frequency and severity of road accidents show a decreasing trend. However, the number of fatalities remains high, which is why comprehensive cooperation is still needed to achieve the goal of the European Commission’s Vision Zero initiative.
This year, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia are participating in the “Together for Child Safety” initiative with a variety of programmes — from school crossing guard regulations and national public events to university fairs, digital educational initiatives in primary schools, e-learning platforms and numerous other activities implemented in the project partner countries.
Special attention will be given to important topics such as safe routes to school, appropriate behaviour in low-visibility conditions, and how to respond in particularly risky situations.
The aim of the joint initiative is to help children recognise dangers and adopt correct behaviour in the road environment, as well as to remind society that each of us has a crucial role to play in protecting children — one of the most vulnerable groups of road users.
As an active participant in the initiative, ABZ is planning a range of educational activities, with a key highlight being the next edition of the educational game “No Mistakes on the Road”, based on the eponymous children’s road safety quiz.
Project Partners:
|
AT |
KFV (Austrian Road Safety Board) |
|
|
AT |
VVO (Austrian Insurance Association) |
|
|
BG |
SARS (Bulgarian State Agency Road Safety) |
|
|
BG |
ABI (Association of Bulgarian Insurers) |
|
|
BG |
The Guarantee Fund |
|
|
HR |
HUO (Croatian Insurance Bureau) |
|
|
HU |
MABISZ - Association of the Hungarian Insurance Companies and more than forty partner organizations, among others the National Police Headquarters, Hungarian Red Cross, Road Safety Research Centre, Institute for Transport Sciences - KTI and several ministries. More information in Hungarian and in English: https://mabisz.hu/biztonsaghete/
|
www.mabisz.hu |
|
PL |
PIU (Polish Chamber of Insurance) |
|
|
RO |
UNSAR (National Association of Insurance and Reinsurance Companies in Romania) |
|
|
SLO |
SIA (Slovenian Insurance Association) |
|
|
SLO |
AVP RS (Slovenian Traffic Safety Agency) |
|
|
SK |
SLASPO (Slovak Insurance Association) |
Video “Together for Child Safety in Central Europe”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13XO8DwDovk
-370x270-3.png "News image")
 (002)-370x270-2.jpg "News image")
