Who is UNASCA, and what is your role as a Charter Ambassador?
UNASCA is Italy’s national association of driving schools and serves as the country’s Ambassador for the European Road Safety Charter. The organisation develops and coordinates projects related to driver training and road safety education. With decades of experience in driving instruction and international collaboration, UNASCA has extensive expertise in developing programs that support safer driving practices across Italy.
Road safety in Italy faces significant challenges, as a culture of safe and responsible driving is still emerging. UNASCA focuses on raising awareness among road users and improving the quality and impact of driver education.
Why did you decide to join the European Road Safety Charter?
We joined the Charter around 20 years ago to help address challenges in Italy’s road safety culture. Many people attend driving school only to obtain a licence rather than to learn safe driving practices, and we saw the need to improve driver education while raising awareness among road users for more responsible behaviour.
Participation in the Charter allows us to learn from European initiatives and share knowledge to strengthen our programmes in Italy.
What are your main focus areas and current projects?
Our work focuses on improving driver training and road user preparedness, with projects including:
- Hazard perception training for drivers
- CPR training for driving licence holders
A recent highlight is the CPR project, which aims to introduce mandatory CPR courses for all drivers. Driving instructors are trained to deliver CPR lessons during driving courses, equipping new drivers with essential life-saving skills.
Who do you collaborate with?
We collaborate with international institutions, including the EU Commission, the European Parliament, UNECE, universities, and NGOs. Through these partnerships, we coordinate efforts and draw on international expertise to inform our road safety projects and training programmes in Italy.
What advice would you give to organisations working on road safety?
Believe in what you do. Find a good idea and find the right people to share it with. Together, we can make a difference and change behaviours on the road.