Initiative details
The core problem is that children in Greece grow up with little or no mobility education. There is no structured cultivation of what it means to be a responsible, aware participant in shared road environments. Most students have never experienced what it means to move safely, to share space, or to recognize the needs of vulnerable users (such as people with disabilities, pedestrians, or cyclists).
Our initiative targets children aged 0–16 and promotes safe and sustainable mobility through education in schools in the Municipality of Chania, Crete. We do not approach road safety simply as accident prevention — we view it as a cultural issue: How do we perceive movement in public space? How do we respect pedestrians, cyclists, and especially children?
Our programme fills this gap by offering an immersive, experience-based approach through Virtual Reality (VR) technology — placing children in realistic traffic situations where they learn by living the experience, not just reading about it.
The goal is not just to “prevent harm.” It is to help them move through the world with awareness, respect, and a sense of belonging in a community that moves together.
Our initiative targets children aged 0–16 and promotes safe and sustainable mobility through education in schools in the Municipality of Chania, Crete. We do not approach road safety simply as accident prevention — we view it as a cultural issue: How do we perceive movement in public space? How do we respect pedestrians, cyclists, and especially children?
Our programme fills this gap by offering an immersive, experience-based approach through Virtual Reality (VR) technology — placing children in realistic traffic situations where they learn by living the experience, not just reading about it.
The goal is not just to “prevent harm.” It is to help them move through the world with awareness, respect, and a sense of belonging in a community that moves together.
Initiative date
to
Who was/is your target audience?
Children 0-16
Topic
Create awareness
Education in school or in community organizations
Knowledge building and sharing
Organisation details
E.M.SA Education in urban mobility and road safety
Association
Greece
ARISTOTELOUS 13 CHANIA CRETE
Contact name
ELENA NTAGKOUNAKI
Telephone number
+306947403293
emsa.roadsafety@gmail.com
Website link
Project activities
If you work together with external partners, list the most important partners and briefly describe their role.
Municipality of Chania – Provides institutional support, access to schools, and promotion of the initiative within the local community.
Local public schools (primary and secondary levels) – Serve as pilot sites for the VR workshops and actively participate in the planning and feedback process.
Educational advisors and pedagogical networks – Assist in aligning the programme with national curriculum goals and ensure age-appropriate delivery.
VR technology providers – Supply the necessary equipment and offer technical support during implementation phases.
These partnerships are essential in ensuring smooth implementation, educational quality, and local engagement. They also contribute to the programme’s long-term sustainability and potential for replication in other regions.
Local public schools (primary and secondary levels) – Serve as pilot sites for the VR workshops and actively participate in the planning and feedback process.
Educational advisors and pedagogical networks – Assist in aligning the programme with national curriculum goals and ensure age-appropriate delivery.
VR technology providers – Supply the necessary equipment and offer technical support during implementation phases.
These partnerships are essential in ensuring smooth implementation, educational quality, and local engagement. They also contribute to the programme’s long-term sustainability and potential for replication in other regions.
Please describe the project activities you carried/are carrying out and the time period over which these were implemented.
The Road safety VrLab programme was developed in early 2025 and is scheduled for pilot implementation from September 2025 to June 2026 in selected schools in the Municipality of Chania, Crete.
The project consists of the following main activities:
Development of VR educational scenarios on real-life mobility situations (e.g. pedestrian crossings, bike lanes, school zones, public transport)
Design of age-appropriate educational content and printed/interactive material to support classroom discussion
Teacher training sessions to familiarise educators with the VR technology and the pedagogical approach
Implementation of VR workshops in schools for students aged 6–16, combining digital immersion with guided reflection
Pre- and post-activity questionnaires to assess impact on awareness, behaviour, and attitudes
Community awareness actions (open demo days, parent information, municipal collaboration)
The programme aims to be gradually expanded across Crete and eventually nationwide. The project is built around the belief that road safety begins with education in sustainable mobility — early, meaningful, and experiential.
The project consists of the following main activities:
Development of VR educational scenarios on real-life mobility situations (e.g. pedestrian crossings, bike lanes, school zones, public transport)
Design of age-appropriate educational content and printed/interactive material to support classroom discussion
Teacher training sessions to familiarise educators with the VR technology and the pedagogical approach
Implementation of VR workshops in schools for students aged 6–16, combining digital immersion with guided reflection
Pre- and post-activity questionnaires to assess impact on awareness, behaviour, and attitudes
Community awareness actions (open demo days, parent information, municipal collaboration)
The programme aims to be gradually expanded across Crete and eventually nationwide. The project is built around the belief that road safety begins with education in sustainable mobility — early, meaningful, and experiential.
In terms of implementation, what worked well and what challenges did you need to overcome?
The Road safety VrLab initiative demonstrated strong early engagement from both educators and students. The use of Virtual Reality (VR) was highly effective in capturing children's attention and creating an emotionally engaging learning environment. Teachers reported that students retained key concepts more easily and actively participated in post-activity discussions. The interactive and immersive approach proved to be a strong asset.
One of the main successes was the collaboration with local schools and the Municipality of Chania, which enabled smooth access to school settings and logistical support for equipment deployment.
However, we encountered challenges related to:
Technical limitations in some school environments (limited space, power supply issues)
The need to train educators not only in using the equipment but also in facilitating reflective discussions
Managing the scheduling of sessions within existing school timetables
Despite these challenges, the overall response has been highly positive, confirming that technology-enhanced experiential learning is both impactful and scalable. The pilot phase helped us refine our methods and build a stronger foundation for future expansion.
One of the main successes was the collaboration with local schools and the Municipality of Chania, which enabled smooth access to school settings and logistical support for equipment deployment.
However, we encountered challenges related to:
Technical limitations in some school environments (limited space, power supply issues)
The need to train educators not only in using the equipment but also in facilitating reflective discussions
Managing the scheduling of sessions within existing school timetables
Despite these challenges, the overall response has been highly positive, confirming that technology-enhanced experiential learning is both impactful and scalable. The pilot phase helped us refine our methods and build a stronger foundation for future expansion.
Evaluation
Please summarise how you have evaluated the initiative’s impact (e.g. social media reach, survey, feedback forms, statistics).
The evaluation of the Road safety VrLab initiative is based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative tools that assess changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour before and after participation.
Specifically, the evaluation process includes:
Pre- and post-activity questionnaires measuring students' understanding of safe and sustainable mobility concepts.
Teacher feedback forms assessing student engagement, educational value, and classroom integration potential.
Focus group interviews with selected students and teachers for deeper qualitative insights into learning outcomes.
Social media analytics, such as reach and interaction with related posts, to measure public engagement and community resonance.
This structured evaluation allowed us to identify the programme’s strengths, address areas for improvement, and gather solid data to inform the next stages of development and wider implementation.
Specifically, the evaluation process includes:
Pre- and post-activity questionnaires measuring students' understanding of safe and sustainable mobility concepts.
Teacher feedback forms assessing student engagement, educational value, and classroom integration potential.
Focus group interviews with selected students and teachers for deeper qualitative insights into learning outcomes.
Social media analytics, such as reach and interaction with related posts, to measure public engagement and community resonance.
This structured evaluation allowed us to identify the programme’s strengths, address areas for improvement, and gather solid data to inform the next stages of development and wider implementation.
What has been the effect of the activities?
The pilot implementation of Road safety VrLab had a strong and measurable impact on the local school community in Chania. In total, over 600 students aged 6–16 and 25 teachers participated across primary and lower secondary schools.
Through immersive learning in realistic traffic scenarios, students significantly improved their understanding and sense of responsibility regarding safe and sustainable mobility. Based on evaluation data:
Knowledge increased by 45% (pre/post questionnaires)
Self-reported risky attitudes (e.g. ignoring signs, rushing, lack of attention) were reduced by 35%
While the impact was local in scope, the approach is scalable and transferable at national level. It complements existing theoretical traffic education by introducing experiential learning and technology-based engagement.
The VR component proved especially effective: it kept children actively involved, encouraged meaningful classroom discussions, and fostered empathy and identification with other road users.
Although long-term reduction in road crashes cannot yet be statistically measured, the shift in mindset and behaviour provides strong indications that this approach contributes meaningfully to a culture of safe and conscious mobility.
Through immersive learning in realistic traffic scenarios, students significantly improved their understanding and sense of responsibility regarding safe and sustainable mobility. Based on evaluation data:
Knowledge increased by 45% (pre/post questionnaires)
Self-reported risky attitudes (e.g. ignoring signs, rushing, lack of attention) were reduced by 35%
While the impact was local in scope, the approach is scalable and transferable at national level. It complements existing theoretical traffic education by introducing experiential learning and technology-based engagement.
The VR component proved especially effective: it kept children actively involved, encouraged meaningful classroom discussions, and fostered empathy and identification with other road users.
Although long-term reduction in road crashes cannot yet be statistically measured, the shift in mindset and behaviour provides strong indications that this approach contributes meaningfully to a culture of safe and conscious mobility.
Please briefly explain why your initiative is a good example of improving road safety.
Road safety VrLab is not just another road safety action — it is an innovative, pedagogical tool for social transformation.
We approach road safety through the lens of sustainable and responsible mobility, targeting the most critical age group: children. Our goal is not just to inform, but to shape attitudes, instill empathy, and transform behaviours. With Virtual Reality (VR), we turn traffic education from abstract theory into memorable, impactful experience.
What makes our initiative a true good practice:
It delivers measurable behaviour change in young users.
It is adaptable and replicable across contexts and regions.
It unites technology, education, and social impact into a cohesive learning model.
The programme is ready to be scaled, offering low-cost implementation, high educational value, and compatibility with school curricula, municipal initiatives, or national safety campaigns.
Other organisations can easily adopt this model, because it is practical, highly engaging, and perfectly aligned with today’s urban mobility challenges. It proves that road safety education can be modern, meaningful, and deeply transformative.
We approach road safety through the lens of sustainable and responsible mobility, targeting the most critical age group: children. Our goal is not just to inform, but to shape attitudes, instill empathy, and transform behaviours. With Virtual Reality (VR), we turn traffic education from abstract theory into memorable, impactful experience.
What makes our initiative a true good practice:
It delivers measurable behaviour change in young users.
It is adaptable and replicable across contexts and regions.
It unites technology, education, and social impact into a cohesive learning model.
The programme is ready to be scaled, offering low-cost implementation, high educational value, and compatibility with school curricula, municipal initiatives, or national safety campaigns.
Other organisations can easily adopt this model, because it is practical, highly engaging, and perfectly aligned with today’s urban mobility challenges. It proves that road safety education can be modern, meaningful, and deeply transformative.
How have you shared information about your project and its results?
The Road safety VrLab project has been presented to local school communities and during educational events hosted by the Municipality of Chania. Results were disseminated via local media, social media platforms, and through presentations to educational networks and public stakeholders. A pilot demonstration was also organised for municipal authorities and parents. The initiative has gained notable local visibility, and discussions for regional expansion are underway. The innovative VR methodology has attracted attention and significantly contributed to raising awareness and interest around the programme.
