Initiative details
The Drogowskaz Programme (Signpost Programme) addresses Poland's persistent road safety crisis, which remains among the EU's most severe. Our diagnosis, drawn from 663 grant applications and 44 funded projects in the 2025 edition identifies three interconnected challenge areas.
In Poland, notable educational gaps persist in the area of practical road safety education. Opportunities for hands‑on learning in real traffic conditions are limited or, in many cases, entirely absent. Only a small number of schools provide practical training in simulated environments, and the overall system places relatively little emphasis on developing consistent, experience‑based safety habits. Emerging risks like: smartphones and headphones distracting pedestrians, e-scooters and varied micromobility remain an issue insufficiently addressed. Adults frequently model and reinforce unsafe behaviours for children because of limited enforcement of traffic regulations.
Infrastructure deficits: rural and small-town areas often lack pavements, cycling paths, road markings, lighting and traffic-calming measures, particularly around schools and kindergartens. Practical training facilities, traffic-education parks are scarce, leaving children without safe spaces to develop cycling and pedestrian skills.
Vulnerable groups: preschoolers, adolescents aged 12-15, deaf children (with virtually no accessible materials), children with disabilities and those from disadvantaged families face systemic exclusion from road safety education. The Drogowskaz Programme reflects the core values of our founding organisation, which has a long‑standing commitment to education, volunteering, emergency response, and comprehensive road‑safety initiatives—both for the wider public and for its own employees.
In Poland, notable educational gaps persist in the area of practical road safety education. Opportunities for hands‑on learning in real traffic conditions are limited or, in many cases, entirely absent. Only a small number of schools provide practical training in simulated environments, and the overall system places relatively little emphasis on developing consistent, experience‑based safety habits. Emerging risks like: smartphones and headphones distracting pedestrians, e-scooters and varied micromobility remain an issue insufficiently addressed. Adults frequently model and reinforce unsafe behaviours for children because of limited enforcement of traffic regulations.
Infrastructure deficits: rural and small-town areas often lack pavements, cycling paths, road markings, lighting and traffic-calming measures, particularly around schools and kindergartens. Practical training facilities, traffic-education parks are scarce, leaving children without safe spaces to develop cycling and pedestrian skills.
Vulnerable groups: preschoolers, adolescents aged 12-15, deaf children (with virtually no accessible materials), children with disabilities and those from disadvantaged families face systemic exclusion from road safety education. The Drogowskaz Programme reflects the core values of our founding organisation, which has a long‑standing commitment to education, volunteering, emergency response, and comprehensive road‑safety initiatives—both for the wider public and for its own employees.
Initiative date
to
Who was/is your target audience?
Policy makers
Public authorities
Children 0-16
Young adults 17-25
Adults
Parents
Educational staff
Topic
Create awareness
Education in school or in community organizations
Knowledge building and sharing
Training
Organisation details
Inter Cars Foundation (Fundacja Inter Cars)
Association
Poland
Warsaw
Contact name
Bożena Kiluk
Telephone number
+48 887 450 549
drogowskaz@intercars.eu
Website link
Project activities
If you work together with external partners, list the most important partners and briefly describe their role.
Fundacja Stars4Stars is our key co-organising partner, providing 50% of the funding pool through its flagship initiative: the Great “Maluch” Expedition for Children (Wielka Wyprawa Maluchów dla Dzieci) — a fundraising and awareness project run jointly with 126 Evolution Association, which raised over 5,250,000 PLN in 2025 alone. Stars4Stars participates in programme governance and joint communication activities.
Expert Programme Committee: the application evaluation process is led by independent polish road safety experts, including representatives of the Association Partnership for Road Safety (Stowarzyszenie Partnerstwo dla Bezpieczeństwa Drogowego), the Road Safety Centre at the Motor Transport Institute (ITS) and the Małopolska Regional Road Safety Council. Their independent assessment ensures methodological rigour and credibility of funding decisions.
Local implementation partners: each funded project relies on a network of local partners that multiplied the Programme's implementation: Local Police, State and Volunteer Fire Brigades (OSP), mountain rescue services (GOPR), municipal and local authorities, schools, kindergartens and cultural institutions. These partnerships ensure that activities are embedded in local communities and authority structures.
Expert Programme Committee: the application evaluation process is led by independent polish road safety experts, including representatives of the Association Partnership for Road Safety (Stowarzyszenie Partnerstwo dla Bezpieczeństwa Drogowego), the Road Safety Centre at the Motor Transport Institute (ITS) and the Małopolska Regional Road Safety Council. Their independent assessment ensures methodological rigour and credibility of funding decisions.
Local implementation partners: each funded project relies on a network of local partners that multiplied the Programme's implementation: Local Police, State and Volunteer Fire Brigades (OSP), mountain rescue services (GOPR), municipal and local authorities, schools, kindergartens and cultural institutions. These partnerships ensure that activities are embedded in local communities and authority structures.
Please describe the project activities you carried/are carrying out and the time period over which these were implemented.
The Programme's core activity was selecting and granting 44 projects in 2025 during national, public contest to local NGOs, schools, kindergartens, libraries, fire brigades and municipal institutions to implement road safety education projects. That was the third edition granting procedure. Grants were distributed in three categories: 30 small (up to PLN 20,000), 9 medium (up to PLN 50,000) and 5 large (up to PLN 100,000), with a total funding pool of 1,443,205 PLN. Applications were collected between February and March 2025, beneficiaries were announced in May, and projects were implemented from 1 June to 31 December 2025.
Beneficiaries delivered 785 workshops and trainings, 80 educational performances and musicals, and 50 picnics and cycling rallies. Projects combined classroom learning with hands-on activities using 29 newly purchased mobile traffic-education towns, VR goggles for first-aid training, alcohol-impairment goggles, interactive boards and traffic-safety board games. Specialist materials were created, including Polish Sign Language content, audiostorytelliny, a mobile quiz app, an e-learning course and an original musical reaching schools in England as well.
Our programme was very successful by providing grants to local actions that created high impact and reached a significant amount of actors through initiatives that combine theory with hands-on practice in traffic-education environments Fo example on storytelling project even covered over 200 kindergartens. The most-needed resources bought and proved were: mobile traffic towns, reflective equipment (vests, bands, helmets) and interactive teaching materials adapted to younger children.
Beneficiaries delivered 785 workshops and trainings, 80 educational performances and musicals, and 50 picnics and cycling rallies. Projects combined classroom learning with hands-on activities using 29 newly purchased mobile traffic-education towns, VR goggles for first-aid training, alcohol-impairment goggles, interactive boards and traffic-safety board games. Specialist materials were created, including Polish Sign Language content, audiostorytelliny, a mobile quiz app, an e-learning course and an original musical reaching schools in England as well.
Our programme was very successful by providing grants to local actions that created high impact and reached a significant amount of actors through initiatives that combine theory with hands-on practice in traffic-education environments Fo example on storytelling project even covered over 200 kindergartens. The most-needed resources bought and proved were: mobile traffic towns, reflective equipment (vests, bands, helmets) and interactive teaching materials adapted to younger children.
In terms of implementation, what worked well and what challenges did you need to overcome?
What worked well: the granting structure: small, medium and large projects proved highly effective, allowing organisations of different scale and capacity to participate on equal terms. Bonus points for projects in small municipalities (under 50,000 residents) successfully directed funding to communities most exposed to road safety risks and exclusion. Simplified application procedures, automated contract signing, transparent evaluation criteria and direct communication with grant coordinators were consistently praised. In evaluation the100% of beneficiaries would recommend the Programme, 95% wish to participate again, and 98% confirmed their projects would not have been delivered without Drogowskaz funding. The strength of local partnerships, like: police, fire services, schools, municipal authorities multipliedvalue of each project.
Challenges shaping future priorities: the dominance of repetitive, template-based formats (poster contests, lectures by uniformed services) highlights the need to actively promote innovative, practice-based methodologies. The shortage of mobile traffic-education towns, accessible materials in polish sign language, and resources adapted to children with disabilities points to highest investment priorities. Not enough national coordination of road safety education calls for systemic dialogue with public institutions. Finally, the seasonality of road safety messaging suggests value in extending educational activities into summer holidays, when children's exposure to road risk is the most important.
Challenges shaping future priorities: the dominance of repetitive, template-based formats (poster contests, lectures by uniformed services) highlights the need to actively promote innovative, practice-based methodologies. The shortage of mobile traffic-education towns, accessible materials in polish sign language, and resources adapted to children with disabilities points to highest investment priorities. Not enough national coordination of road safety education calls for systemic dialogue with public institutions. Finally, the seasonality of road safety messaging suggests value in extending educational activities into summer holidays, when children's exposure to road risk is the most important.
Evaluation
Please summarise how you have evaluated the initiative’s impact (e.g. social media reach, survey, feedback forms, statistics).
The Drogowskaz Programme is evaluated through a multi-layered framework that tracks both quantitative reach and qualitative impact at the level of the initiative as a whole.
Beneficiary reporting: every grant recipient submits a structured final report including measurable indicators: numbers of direct and indirect beneficiaries broken down by age group (preschoolers, primary school grades 1–3 and 4–8, secondary school students, children with disabilities), activities delivered, products purchased and educational outputs created. Medium and large grants require mandatory photo and video documentation. In the 2025 edition, this produced consolidated data covering 40,000 direct participants, 280,000 indirect recipients, 785 trainings, 80 performances and 50 picnics and rallies.
Beneficiary satisfaction survey: all 44 grantees completed a structured feedback questionnaire assessing application timing, grant amounts, implementation period, formalities and Programme coordination. Results: 100% would recommend Drogowskaz, 95% intend to reapply, 98% confirmed their project would not have happened without our funding.
Communication and visibility tracking. Outcomes are documented through 44 photo reports and several video productions, published across beneficiaries' channels, Fundacja Inter Cars and Stars4Stars social media (FB, instagram), the Wielka Wyprawa Maluchów platform and local press.
The Inter Cars Foundation’s social media channels serve as an effective communication platform for engaging both current and prospective grant providers. The Foundation’s profiles generate substantial reach per month, with over 19,000 views on Facebook and 7,500 on Instagram.
Beneficiary reporting: every grant recipient submits a structured final report including measurable indicators: numbers of direct and indirect beneficiaries broken down by age group (preschoolers, primary school grades 1–3 and 4–8, secondary school students, children with disabilities), activities delivered, products purchased and educational outputs created. Medium and large grants require mandatory photo and video documentation. In the 2025 edition, this produced consolidated data covering 40,000 direct participants, 280,000 indirect recipients, 785 trainings, 80 performances and 50 picnics and rallies.
Beneficiary satisfaction survey: all 44 grantees completed a structured feedback questionnaire assessing application timing, grant amounts, implementation period, formalities and Programme coordination. Results: 100% would recommend Drogowskaz, 95% intend to reapply, 98% confirmed their project would not have happened without our funding.
Communication and visibility tracking. Outcomes are documented through 44 photo reports and several video productions, published across beneficiaries' channels, Fundacja Inter Cars and Stars4Stars social media (FB, instagram), the Wielka Wyprawa Maluchów platform and local press.
The Inter Cars Foundation’s social media channels serve as an effective communication platform for engaging both current and prospective grant providers. The Foundation’s profiles generate substantial reach per month, with over 19,000 views on Facebook and 7,500 on Instagram.
What has been the effect of the activities?
In the 2025 edition, the Programme reached approximately 40,000 direct participants (children and youth), 280,000 indirect recipients, more than 5,000 adults (teachers, parents, local authorities) and 559 children and young people with disabilities — a record figure in the Programme's history!
Level of impact: 84% of funded projects had a local dimension, deeply embedded in small municipalities and rural communities most exposed to road risk. Selected initiatives reached regional scale (one preschool project covered 205 kindergartens across three voivodeships), national scale (musical performances touring 17 Polish locations) and international scale (Polish weekend schools in England). The Programme itself was recognised at European level as a finalist of the Excellence in Road Safety Awards 2025 as well.
Impact is tracked through standardised beneficiary reports, pre/post knowledge surveys (one project documented a 2.5-point increase in cycling safety knowledge), satisfaction data (100% recommend, 98% confirm funding was indispensable) and external validation. Long-term reduction in casualties requires longitudinal monitoring beyond the project cycle.
In effectiveness and complementarity issue we can point that Drogowskaz is currently Poland's only dedicated road safety grant programme of this scale, filling a systemic gap. It complements the Wielka Wyprawa Maluchów awareness initiative and engages local police, fire services and schools, multiplying reach through existing community structures.
Level of impact: 84% of funded projects had a local dimension, deeply embedded in small municipalities and rural communities most exposed to road risk. Selected initiatives reached regional scale (one preschool project covered 205 kindergartens across three voivodeships), national scale (musical performances touring 17 Polish locations) and international scale (Polish weekend schools in England). The Programme itself was recognised at European level as a finalist of the Excellence in Road Safety Awards 2025 as well.
Impact is tracked through standardised beneficiary reports, pre/post knowledge surveys (one project documented a 2.5-point increase in cycling safety knowledge), satisfaction data (100% recommend, 98% confirm funding was indispensable) and external validation. Long-term reduction in casualties requires longitudinal monitoring beyond the project cycle.
In effectiveness and complementarity issue we can point that Drogowskaz is currently Poland's only dedicated road safety grant programme of this scale, filling a systemic gap. It complements the Wielka Wyprawa Maluchów awareness initiative and engages local police, fire services and schools, multiplying reach through existing community structures.
Please briefly explain why your initiative is a good example of improving road safety.
Drogowskaz is a replicable model of systemic, community-rooted road safety education. Drogowskaz demonstrates that a structured grant programme, rather than centralised top-down campaigns, is an efficient mechanism for scaling road safety education across a large, geographically diverse country. By channelling funding to local organisations that already operate within their communities, the Programme activates existing trust networks, local knowledge and partner relationships that no national campaign can replicate. Critically, it mobilises civil society to conduct its own local road safety diagnosis, defining the problem, setting measurable goals, and designing targeted interventions which produces lasting organisational capacity beyond the grant period itself.
What others can learn. Three features make Drogowskaz particularly transferable. First, the grant structure (small, medium, large) lowers the barrier to entry for inexperienced applicants while enabling ambitious, scalable projects. Second, bonus points for small and low-income municipalities ensure resources reach the most underserved areas. Third, mandatory reporting with standardised indicators builds a national evidence base that continuously improves programme design — lessons from each edition are directly translated into procedural improvements for the next.
The programme is growing in scale and quality. The most compelling evidence of Drogowskaz's replicability is its own trajectory. From 172 applications in the 2023 pilot to 663 in 2025 and 333 in the IV edition (2026) despite a significantly shorter application window. More importantly, the quality and ambition of project proposals has matured visibly across editions: early applications were often based on simple lecture formats, while recent submissions increasingly propose innovative, practice-based methodologies, including: mobile traffic towns, VR simulations, e-learning platforms, original musicals and tailored resources for children with disabilities. The IV edition launched in 2026 with a funding pool of 1,600,000 PLN (the largest) reflecting both growing organisational confidence and the demonstrated effectiveness of the model.
Programme is ease of replication. The model is deliberately straightforward: an open call, transparent criteria, structured evaluation by independent experts, and standardised contracts and reporting. Any foundation, public institution or corporate CSR programme with access to a grant management platform could adapt this framework to their national or regional context.
What others can learn. Three features make Drogowskaz particularly transferable. First, the grant structure (small, medium, large) lowers the barrier to entry for inexperienced applicants while enabling ambitious, scalable projects. Second, bonus points for small and low-income municipalities ensure resources reach the most underserved areas. Third, mandatory reporting with standardised indicators builds a national evidence base that continuously improves programme design — lessons from each edition are directly translated into procedural improvements for the next.
The programme is growing in scale and quality. The most compelling evidence of Drogowskaz's replicability is its own trajectory. From 172 applications in the 2023 pilot to 663 in 2025 and 333 in the IV edition (2026) despite a significantly shorter application window. More importantly, the quality and ambition of project proposals has matured visibly across editions: early applications were often based on simple lecture formats, while recent submissions increasingly propose innovative, practice-based methodologies, including: mobile traffic towns, VR simulations, e-learning platforms, original musicals and tailored resources for children with disabilities. The IV edition launched in 2026 with a funding pool of 1,600,000 PLN (the largest) reflecting both growing organisational confidence and the demonstrated effectiveness of the model.
Programme is ease of replication. The model is deliberately straightforward: an open call, transparent criteria, structured evaluation by independent experts, and standardised contracts and reporting. Any foundation, public institution or corporate CSR programme with access to a grant management platform could adapt this framework to their national or regional context.
How have you shared information about your project and its results?
Results are disseminated through multiple channels at every level. All 44 beneficiaries from last edition published photo reports and social media content through their own local networks; medium and large grantees additionally produced video documentation. Inter Cars Foundation and Stars4Stars Foundation amplified outcomes across their social media platforms and the “Wielka Wyprawa Maluchów dla Dzieci” communication ecosystem. The Programme maintains a dedicated website and was presented at national events including the Road Safety Gala (organised by the Partnership for Road Safety Association). Internationally, Drogowskaz was recognised as a finalist of the Excellence in Road Safety Awards 2025 by the European Road Safety Charter at the European Commission platform which confirming visibility beyond Poland's borders.
