Initiative details
Due to the specific characteristics of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship — extensive forested areas, type of the road infrastructure, and the predominance of single-carriageway, two-way roads — we record a higher-than-average number of severe traffic incidents compared to the national average. These include collisions with wild animals, crashes into roadside trees, and head-on vehicle collisions. Statistically, these are the leading causes of fatal accidents in our region. If we were able to reduce the number of such incidents to the national average, then — considering the number of fatalities — we would have a real chance of becoming the safest voivodeship in Poland. We recognize the need for infrastructural improvements: traffic separation, reducing the number of potentially hazardous objects within the road zone, and, equally important, the need to change driver behavior. Excessive speed is a common factor contributing to accidents, which we, as the Police, strive to address through monitoring and speed enforcement. However, we believe that effective educational initiatives can bring measurable improvements in road user awareness and, in turn, lead to meaningful changes in behavior on the road.
Initiative date
to
Who was/is your target audience?
Policy makers
Public authorities
Young adults 17-25
Adults
Parents
Seniors
Company employees
Car drivers
Car drivers – professional
Educational staff
Emergency services
Van drivers
Lorry/truck drivers
Powered two wheeler riders (excluding micromobility)
Topic
Create awareness
Education in school or in community organizations
Knowledge building and sharing
Provide alternative solutions
Organisation details
Provincial Police Headquarters in Olsztyn
Local Public authority
Poland
Olsztyn / warmińsko-mazurskie Voivodeship.
Contact name
podkom. Tomasz Zieliński
Telephone number
+48 606 890 813
profilaktyka@ol.policja.gov.pl
Website link
Project activities
If you work together with external partners, list the most important partners and briefly describe their role.
The primary partner of the project was the Provincial Road Traffic Center (WORD) in Olsztyn, which has played a key role in traffic education and preventive activities in our region for many years. As part of this initiative, WORD was the institution that financed the purchase of the equipment necessary to create the mobile road accident simulator, including a virtual reality headset, a high-performance computer, and a mobile workstation setup.
Importantly, WORD representatives were actively involved in the development of the simulation scenarios. Together, we shared our experience gained from working daily with drivers who had violated traffic laws and contributed to selecting the most representative and educational examples of road incidents. The combined knowledge of traffic officers from the Warmian-Masurian police and WORD employees, along with their understanding of the realities of local roads, had a significant impact on the quality and relevance of the developed materials.
Thanks to the collaboration with WORD, we were also able to successfully implement the project and deliver the completed educational tool to the target audience — drivers participating in re-education courses. This partner provided the infrastructure and organizational support necessary to conduct simulator-based training at its facility and made qualified personnel available, who were trained in operating the system.
Another important partner in the project was BeamNG GmbH, a German software developer that created the physics engine and simulation environment used as the foundation of our tool. Their technologically advanced solution — known for its realistic depiction of vehicle collisions — became the core for building immersive, dynamic, and highly realistic road accident scenarios. The company granted us an academic license to use their software for educational purposes, which made it possible to fully implement the project within a public institution.
Importantly, WORD representatives were actively involved in the development of the simulation scenarios. Together, we shared our experience gained from working daily with drivers who had violated traffic laws and contributed to selecting the most representative and educational examples of road incidents. The combined knowledge of traffic officers from the Warmian-Masurian police and WORD employees, along with their understanding of the realities of local roads, had a significant impact on the quality and relevance of the developed materials.
Thanks to the collaboration with WORD, we were also able to successfully implement the project and deliver the completed educational tool to the target audience — drivers participating in re-education courses. This partner provided the infrastructure and organizational support necessary to conduct simulator-based training at its facility and made qualified personnel available, who were trained in operating the system.
Another important partner in the project was BeamNG GmbH, a German software developer that created the physics engine and simulation environment used as the foundation of our tool. Their technologically advanced solution — known for its realistic depiction of vehicle collisions — became the core for building immersive, dynamic, and highly realistic road accident scenarios. The company granted us an academic license to use their software for educational purposes, which made it possible to fully implement the project within a public institution.
Please describe the project activities you carried/are carrying out and the time period over which these were implemented.
We have established a partnership with the German software developer BeamNG GmbH and obtained an academic license to use their program for educational purposes. Based on this software, we developed over a dozen traffic incident scenarios that are directly derived from the analysis of road accident causes in our voivodeship. These scenarios reflect the most common causes of fatal accidents in the region, and some of them are based on real-life events.
Using these scenarios, we created a mobile road accident simulator that utilizes virtual reality technology. Participants can take on the role of a driver involved in the incident, a bystander, or an observer — with the ability to freely change perspectives. The entire experience takes place through VR goggles and a sound headset, providing a strong sense of immersion. We also ensured that the simulation can be followed by others via an external display.
The entire setup has been designed with portability in mind, allowing it to be used as an educational tool during student workshops, in university and school classrooms, at training sessions organized by external institutions, and even at open-air public events.
To maximize the effectiveness of this initiative, the mobile road accident simulator is also used during training sessions for drivers who have violated traffic regulations. These sessions are conducted by the Provincial Road Traffic Center (WORD) in Olsztyn and are attended by drivers seeking to reduce the number of penalty points on their driving records. These are individuals who have previously committed traffic offenses and are therefore at greater risk of being involved in a road accident.
The simulator serves as an additional component of the 10-hour training course provided at the center, and we can already confirm that it significantly enhances the educational value of the training course program.
Using these scenarios, we created a mobile road accident simulator that utilizes virtual reality technology. Participants can take on the role of a driver involved in the incident, a bystander, or an observer — with the ability to freely change perspectives. The entire experience takes place through VR goggles and a sound headset, providing a strong sense of immersion. We also ensured that the simulation can be followed by others via an external display.
The entire setup has been designed with portability in mind, allowing it to be used as an educational tool during student workshops, in university and school classrooms, at training sessions organized by external institutions, and even at open-air public events.
To maximize the effectiveness of this initiative, the mobile road accident simulator is also used during training sessions for drivers who have violated traffic regulations. These sessions are conducted by the Provincial Road Traffic Center (WORD) in Olsztyn and are attended by drivers seeking to reduce the number of penalty points on their driving records. These are individuals who have previously committed traffic offenses and are therefore at greater risk of being involved in a road accident.
The simulator serves as an additional component of the 10-hour training course provided at the center, and we can already confirm that it significantly enhances the educational value of the training course program.
In terms of implementation, what worked well and what challenges did you need to overcome?
One of the aspects that exceeded our expectations was the strong emotional impact the simulation had on participants — the intense reactions to experiencing a virtual crash and how effectively this facilitated deeper discussions about the causes of real-life accidents. Many individuals who had the opportunity to undergo the simulation in our presence emphasized that such solutions should be a mandatory part of driver training or re-education courses at Provincial Road Traffic Centers (WORD). We made sure to inform them about the actual purpose of this educational tool and explained that, in practice, it is most often used during training sessions for drivers at the Provincial Road Traffic Center in Olsztyn.
We had also anticipated that training personnel to operate the mobile simulator would pose a greater challenge. However, this turned out not to be the case — both for police officers and WORD staff. The system is configured in a relatively intuitive and user-friendly way. A single session was sufficient to present the project's core assumptions and the necessary technical information.
Among the aspects that still require improvement is the need for higher technical specifications of the simulation equipment. This would allow for enhanced graphics quality, smoother performance, increased reliability — and, ultimately, a greater sense of immersion for the user.
We had also anticipated that training personnel to operate the mobile simulator would pose a greater challenge. However, this turned out not to be the case — both for police officers and WORD staff. The system is configured in a relatively intuitive and user-friendly way. A single session was sufficient to present the project's core assumptions and the necessary technical information.
Among the aspects that still require improvement is the need for higher technical specifications of the simulation equipment. This would allow for enhanced graphics quality, smoother performance, increased reliability — and, ultimately, a greater sense of immersion for the user.
Evaluation
Please summarise how you have evaluated the initiative’s impact (e.g. social media reach, survey, feedback forms, statistics).
The primary information we were particularly interested in was understanding the impressions of participants using the simulator. To achieve this, we prepared a survey (Attachment: “Survey – Simulator.pdf”), which was distributed to the vast majority of participants. So far, we have collected 553 completed surveys, providing a reliable basis for evaluating how the project has been received. The vast majority of respondents rated their overall simulation experience very positively — on a scale of 1 to 9, the average score was 8.7. Similarly high ratings were given to the effectiveness of the simulator as an educational tool (average 9.0) and the participants’ willingness to recommend the experience to others (average 9.0). Most participants did not report significant concerns regarding the simulator’s performance. However, a small percentage indicated a need to improve the quality of the graphics (6.2%) and to enhance system stability (4.2%). The project is intended as a starting point for evaluating the potential for broader implementation of this type of educational tool — not only beyond the borders of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, but also by other police units and institutions.
What has been the effect of the activities?
Over one thousand people have had the opportunity to experience a road accident simulation, often outside the premises of the Regional Road Traffic Center (WORD) in Olsztyn. We also brought the simulator to the Pomeranian and Podlaskie provinces. Regardless of the location, the setup made a strong impression on both direct participants and bystanders. It also served as an excellent platform for initiating discussions on road safety.
The official launch of the project took place on April 23, 2025, at the headquarters of the Regional Road Traffic Center in Olsztyn. The event attracted significant media attention, including television stations, radio broadcasters, and online news portals. Information about the new educational tool and the "Świadomi Mobilni" initiative reached audiences across the country, including a feature in the main news broadcast of the nation’s largest TV station.
We also had the opportunity to present the simulator at the 15th International Road Safety Conference “GAMBIT 2025” in Gdańsk, where it received very positive feedback from participants, including those from abroad.
When comparing the period from May 1 to May 26, 2025, with the same timeframe in 2024, we can observe a significant improvement in road safety in our region. There were 50 recorded road accidents (29 fewer than in 2024, a decrease of 36%), 4 fatalities (9 fewer, a 69% decrease), 64 people injured (22 fewer, a 26% decrease), and 990 minor collisions (71 fewer, a 7% decrease).
The official launch of the project took place on April 23, 2025, at the headquarters of the Regional Road Traffic Center in Olsztyn. The event attracted significant media attention, including television stations, radio broadcasters, and online news portals. Information about the new educational tool and the "Świadomi Mobilni" initiative reached audiences across the country, including a feature in the main news broadcast of the nation’s largest TV station.
We also had the opportunity to present the simulator at the 15th International Road Safety Conference “GAMBIT 2025” in Gdańsk, where it received very positive feedback from participants, including those from abroad.
When comparing the period from May 1 to May 26, 2025, with the same timeframe in 2024, we can observe a significant improvement in road safety in our region. There were 50 recorded road accidents (29 fewer than in 2024, a decrease of 36%), 4 fatalities (9 fewer, a 69% decrease), 64 people injured (22 fewer, a 26% decrease), and 990 minor collisions (71 fewer, a 7% decrease).
Please briefly explain why your initiative is a good example of improving road safety.
The scope of the project goes far beyond just the road accident simulator. "Świadomi-Mobilni" (Consciously Mobile) is an initiative aimed at developing modern educational tools to support traffic safety education in the most effective way possible. The goal is to positively influence the habits and behaviors of road users through innovative and engaging methods. The project focuses not only on the creation of these tools, but also on making them freely available — not only to police units, but also to other institutions, organizations, and individual educators involved in traffic safety education.
As a result, the initiative fosters inter-institutional cooperation, brings together professionals working in this field, and inspires educators to take action and create their own solutions.
We are currently in the process of developing a user-friendly digital platform that will allow us to share our materials and educational tools with a broader audience.
As a result, the initiative fosters inter-institutional cooperation, brings together professionals working in this field, and inspires educators to take action and create their own solutions.
We are currently in the process of developing a user-friendly digital platform that will allow us to share our materials and educational tools with a broader audience.
How have you shared information about your project and its results?
The planned use of the mobile road accident simulator will continue until August of this year, after which a full evaluation of the project will be conducted. The initiative has gained significant recognition—not only from the media (see attachments), but also within the national structures of the Police.
In the near future, training sessions are scheduled for police officers from across the country who are involved in prevention and education in the field of road safety. These sessions will focus on the practical use of tools developed within the project Świadomi-Mobilni.
We have already conducted the first training sessions with officers from other provinces, including the Pomeranian Voivodeship. These sessions were met with strong interest and active participation.
Our goal is to establish a nationwide network of qualified educators and police officers who will implement modern teaching methods using technology that engages participants through experience and play. In this way, we aim to have an even greater impact on improving road safety throughout the country.
In the near future, training sessions are scheduled for police officers from across the country who are involved in prevention and education in the field of road safety. These sessions will focus on the practical use of tools developed within the project Świadomi-Mobilni.
We have already conducted the first training sessions with officers from other provinces, including the Pomeranian Voivodeship. These sessions were met with strong interest and active participation.
Our goal is to establish a nationwide network of qualified educators and police officers who will implement modern teaching methods using technology that engages participants through experience and play. In this way, we aim to have an even greater impact on improving road safety throughout the country.
