The European Road Safety Charter’s Good Practice of the Month for October 2026 is a Polish initiative that promotes helmet use and safer road behaviour through child-created videos and practical road safety education.
A Polish initiative encourages children to wear helmets and ride e-scooters safely. The European Road Safety Charter recognised it as Good Practice of the Month.
The growing popularity of e-scooters among children and young people has raised concerns about their safety. How can young riders be encouraged to wear helmets and behave responsibly in traffic? An inspiring example is Stop the child on the road, a Polish initiative selected by the European Road Safety Charter as its Good Practice of the Month for October 2026.
The initiative was developed by Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Dzieci (the Society of Friends of Children), an organisation with extensive experience supporting children. It combines peer-led awareness raising with practical road safety education, based on the idea that safety messages can be particularly effective when children create them for their peers.
Children create their own helmet-safety campaigns
One of the initiative’s main activities was the nationwide Hulaj w Kasku (“Ride with a Helmet”) competition. Children attending the organisation’s educational and care facilities were invited to create short music videos promoting helmet use when riding e-scooters.
A total of 20 videos were submitted. Children took part in developing the scripts, lyrics, music and final edits. The aim was not simply to communicate safety information, but to empower young people to create messages that could resonate with their peers.
The winners were announced at the organisation’s annual Children’s Day event. Prizes were funded by project partner InPost, while the initiative also received the honorary patronage of Poland’s Minister of Infrastructure.
Awareness raising combined with practical training
The project goes beyond online communication. Its activities also include a mobile road safety training park, where children can practise traffic rules and safe e-scooter use in a controlled environment.
Around 1,000 children took part in practical activities during the Children’s Day event. A further 200 children were scheduled to participate in training sessions at summer camps organised by the initiative. Practical education therefore complements the creative campaign and helps turn general safety advice into real-world skills.
Reaching thousands of children
According to the organisers, information about the initiative reached approximately 10,000 children supported by the organisation. Information about the competition published online generated an estimated 2,000 views, while the submitted videos received around 10,000 views on Facebook.
The initiative also coincided with the introduction in Poland of a helmet requirement for children and young people under the age of 16 using bicycles, e-scooters and other personal mobility devices. By involving children in creating their own safety messages, the project aimed to raise awareness of the requirement and encourage compliance.
Why was this initiative selected?
The European Road Safety Charter recognised the initiative for combining creative, peer-led awareness raising with practical road safety education. Children are not simply recipients of safety information; they actively help create and share it.
The project also highlights the importance of mutual respect on roads shared by pedestrians, cyclists, e-scooter users, public transport passengers and motorists. Safer mobility depends on all road users understanding their responsibilities and behaving considerately towards others.
Good Practice of the Month: sharing solutions that work
Good Practice of the Month is an initiative of the European Road Safety Charter that highlights practical road safety projects and measures developed by its members. These examples demonstrate how specific challenges can be addressed and how approaches developed in one country may inspire other organisations and regions.
CDV as the European Road Safety Charter’s ambassador in Czechia
The Transport Research Centre (CDV) acts as the national ambassador of the European Road Safety Charter in Czechia. In this role, CDV helps communicate European road safety activities and share examples of good practice that may contribute to safer roads.
The CDV website features selected initiatives from across Europe. Their experience can inspire Czech municipalities, schools, organisations and other stakeholders working to improve road safety.