Initiative details
Road safety awareness comes at a very late age, usually when studying for the driving license. We sought to impact at an earlier age of development, when children are still learning and molding basic and essential values for life.
Through this initiative, we allow kids to explore and reflect on key values like safety, care for the environment and respect for others.
All in all, they will probably be future drivers.
Through this initiative, we allow kids to explore and reflect on key values like safety, care for the environment and respect for others.
All in all, they will probably be future drivers.
Initiative date
Who was/is your target audience?
Children 0-16
Educational staff
Topic
Create awareness
Education in school or in community organizations
Organisation details
Volvo Car España
Enterprise
Spain
Madrid
Contact name
Alfonso Arbeteta
Telephone number
+34 639199632
alfonso.arbeteta@volvocars.com
Website link
Project activities
If you work together with external partners, list the most important partners and briefly describe their role.
ONCE Foundation was born in 1988 for cooperation and inclusion of people with any kind of disability, specifically for the blind (https://www.fundaciononce.es/en)
ROBOTIX Hands-on-learning designed the educational program for Volvo Cars with exclusiveness, ensuring alignment with the core values. They selected and trained the trainers and coordinated with educational centres (https://www.robotix.es/es/robotix-hands-on-learning)
ROBOTIX Hands-on-learning designed the educational program for Volvo Cars with exclusiveness, ensuring alignment with the core values. They selected and trained the trainers and coordinated with educational centres (https://www.robotix.es/es/robotix-hands-on-learning)
Please describe the project activities you carried/are carrying out and the time period over which these were implemented.
1st stage: "workshop" with LEGO Spike Prime educational robots simulating a Volvo XC60 model. With several programming and coding challenges, students have to face and resolve missions where vehicles must avoid crashing, be accessible and protect the people inside and outside.
2nd stage: "online challenge" where students have to reflect on a road safety problem and search for a solution to it. They use scientific methods, creativity and innovation working in small groups. All projects have to be published on the website, where everyone can collaborate with more ideas and suggestions.
3rd stage: "recognition ceremony", where the best ideas are selected in 4 categories (best online challenge, most innovative, most popular and best accessibility proposal). It is followed by an award ceremony.
This project has been running for 12 years now (in 2025) and it is developed during a whole quarter and impacts around 2.100 students per year.
2nd stage: "online challenge" where students have to reflect on a road safety problem and search for a solution to it. They use scientific methods, creativity and innovation working in small groups. All projects have to be published on the website, where everyone can collaborate with more ideas and suggestions.
3rd stage: "recognition ceremony", where the best ideas are selected in 4 categories (best online challenge, most innovative, most popular and best accessibility proposal). It is followed by an award ceremony.
This project has been running for 12 years now (in 2025) and it is developed during a whole quarter and impacts around 2.100 students per year.
In terms of implementation, what worked well and what challenges did you need to overcome?
Results have been always merely positive (NPS around 95% showing a high satisfaction). Along its existence, the program had to keep on developing and adapting, with new robots, materials, missions and technological improvements.
Logistically it is a very demanding challenge, but this is overcome with the collaboration and commitment of the school centres.
It is easy to get the buy-in from the schools, as they see a unique opportunity for the students to learn and reflect about road safety, city organization and safer spaces.
Only during year 2020 we had to re-organize all sessions to adapt ourselves to the Covid-19 restrictions.
In general, it was a growing journey throughout these years.
Logistically it is a very demanding challenge, but this is overcome with the collaboration and commitment of the school centres.
It is easy to get the buy-in from the schools, as they see a unique opportunity for the students to learn and reflect about road safety, city organization and safer spaces.
Only during year 2020 we had to re-organize all sessions to adapt ourselves to the Covid-19 restrictions.
In general, it was a growing journey throughout these years.
Evaluation
Please summarise how you have evaluated the initiative’s impact (e.g. social media reach, survey, feedback forms, statistics).
The following tools have been used to assess the impact from both a qualitative and quantitative points of view:
-Satisfaction surveys: addressed to teachers, asking about specific subjects like the content quality, student motivation, adaptation to the core subjects taught at school, and general organization of the activity. Net Promoter Score (NPS) is higher than 95%
-Direct observation of workshops: the trainers monitor the involvement, creativity, teamwork and ability to solve problems
-Digital impact on digital media: the official website has had 120.000 visits, with high peaks of activity during the awards ceremony. In social media, the program has been mentioned in more than 150 publications made by Volvo Car España, Fundación ONCE and several other agents, reaching 500.000 hits. Additionally, it has been amplified by many local and national communication media, contributing to its visibility as a reference in educational initiatives focused on road safety.
-Satisfaction surveys: addressed to teachers, asking about specific subjects like the content quality, student motivation, adaptation to the core subjects taught at school, and general organization of the activity. Net Promoter Score (NPS) is higher than 95%
-Direct observation of workshops: the trainers monitor the involvement, creativity, teamwork and ability to solve problems
-Digital impact on digital media: the official website has had 120.000 visits, with high peaks of activity during the awards ceremony. In social media, the program has been mentioned in more than 150 publications made by Volvo Car España, Fundación ONCE and several other agents, reaching 500.000 hits. Additionally, it has been amplified by many local and national communication media, contributing to its visibility as a reference in educational initiatives focused on road safety.
What has been the effect of the activities?
In 12 editions, Iniciativa Volvo has impacted more than 37.000 students between 8 and 12 years old in Spain, promoting an early awareness about road safety. Every year, 2.100 students are involved in the activity and hundreds of projects are submitted to the online challenge, accumulating more than 4.000 creative proposals.
Those have had a great impact thanks to being published on the website www.iniciativa-volvo.es/retos, where the most original, creative and applicable proposals were awarded in a recognition ceremony.
Those have had a great impact thanks to being published on the website www.iniciativa-volvo.es/retos, where the most original, creative and applicable proposals were awarded in a recognition ceremony.
Please briefly explain why your initiative is a good example of improving road safety.
Our main arguments are:
1. Prevention via early education
The project focuses on the very origin of the change: education. By teaching girls and boys from 8 to 12 years old about road safety, we promote a culture of responsibility and respect, with a lasting impact in accident rate
2. Collaborative and innovative approach
Students not only receive information but observe, analyze and propose real solutions to current traffic and mobility issues. This fosters critical thinking and active involvement in a safer design
3. Integration of technology and accessibility
With educational robotic workshops and technical challenges (automated driving systems, sensors, driver alerts...) the program connects the dots of the most technologically advances that already mold the future of mobility.
4. Demonstrated impact: more than 37.000 students, over 4.000 proposals presented and a very engaged school community shows that the model is replicable, scalable and with real results
5. Social awareness
Beside road safety, the project promotes values like empathy, sustainability and inclusiveness, all key to build safer and more humane cities.
Beside the above, this initiative is easily adaptable to other frames and target audience, including grown-ups (for example, during automotive fairs).
1. Prevention via early education
The project focuses on the very origin of the change: education. By teaching girls and boys from 8 to 12 years old about road safety, we promote a culture of responsibility and respect, with a lasting impact in accident rate
2. Collaborative and innovative approach
Students not only receive information but observe, analyze and propose real solutions to current traffic and mobility issues. This fosters critical thinking and active involvement in a safer design
3. Integration of technology and accessibility
With educational robotic workshops and technical challenges (automated driving systems, sensors, driver alerts...) the program connects the dots of the most technologically advances that already mold the future of mobility.
4. Demonstrated impact: more than 37.000 students, over 4.000 proposals presented and a very engaged school community shows that the model is replicable, scalable and with real results
5. Social awareness
Beside road safety, the project promotes values like empathy, sustainability and inclusiveness, all key to build safer and more humane cities.
Beside the above, this initiative is easily adaptable to other frames and target audience, including grown-ups (for example, during automotive fairs).
How have you shared information about your project and its results?
The program has a structured regional diffusion strategy in collaboration with the school centre network from Madrid Autonomous Community, who are invited to take part without any cost. The initial communication is made by an official newsletter, which makes it easier and more effective to arrive to a high number of schools.
During the program, three newsletters are released (launch, execution and results).
The visibility is amplified by the official Volvo Cars social media channels, plus the education centres media diffusion.
The award ceremony is, by far, the most impactful event. All the finalists are brought together with Volvo Car representatives (like the CEO), making a natural space for mutual recognition and commitment with the road safety.
During the program, three newsletters are released (launch, execution and results).
The visibility is amplified by the official Volvo Cars social media channels, plus the education centres media diffusion.
The award ceremony is, by far, the most impactful event. All the finalists are brought together with Volvo Car representatives (like the CEO), making a natural space for mutual recognition and commitment with the road safety.
