Good practices

The number of motorcyclists in Lithuania is growing every year. According to the data of 2023, there were ~88,000 motorcycles and mopeds registered in Lithuania. New drivers only receive 10 academic hours of practical driving lessons in schools before they get an A category (motorcycle driving license). In our opinion, this is too little to learn how to ride a motorcycle safely. We emphasize continuous informing of the motorcycling public about safe participation in public traffic. We organize public rides during the season in with 40 to 100 riders are participating. We teach how to properly and safely ride in a motorcycle convoy, what signs to use, how to brake, maintain a constant speed and maintain safe distances between moving motorcycles. These rides are organized free of charge. We also host shows and podcasts on a variety of topics relevant to motorcyclists, including road safety and information for new young motorcycle drivers. A video about the first medical aid to a victim in a moto accident was filmed last year. The plan is to prepare more video material about safe driving, safe motorcycle gear, how to maintain a motorcycle etc.

Low driving skills after completing driving school and driving exams. Weak evaluation on examine driving tests. Seasonal challenges, where after a winter period, when one starts to drive motorcycles again, the mind knows but body and muscular memory has forgotten vital survival skills. Motorcycle drivers tend to find themselves in an unexpected situations, where they do not know or do not remember how to survive sudden traffic situations. Especially at higher speeds.

According to statistics, road accidents are the leading cause of death for young people, especially in the 18-24 age group. This is a good reason to raise awareness and to leverage the young population.
Many young people and young adults represent an interesting target for awareness campaigns. Not only can they help spreading awareness in society right now, but they are also highly exposed to road risks. Moreover, when properly addressed, younger people are open to learn and to change behaviour.
Motorways, Italian Police and City Authorities decided to reach out to young people by creating a project aimed at road safety culture.
The main goal is to widespread safety culture directly to students and young adults. It is also the opportunity to mobilize a huge number of national, regional and local stakeholders.
Impact and scale: The core of the initiative is made out of 40 events in 6 regions and 20 towns. Organizers expect to reach 10.000 to 20.000 people, ideally 15.000. It’s not just an easy tour of lectures in schools. Strategies for medium/long term engagement are put into practice. A concrete assessment of results is being made.

The danger for children in traffic increases significantly in darkness or poor visibility. Children are often overlooked in such conditions because their small size and usually dark clothing make them difficult for drivers to see. Without adequate lighting or reflective materials, they are especially at risk, as they are noticed much later than adults. Additionally, children often react impulsively and unpredictably in traffic, which increases the risk of accidents.
It is particularly critical that children have difficulty judging distances and the speed of vehicles. This ability is further impaired in the dark. Drivers also have limited visibility in the dark and need more time to react to unexpected obstacles. Glare from street lighting, oncoming vehicles, or bad weather exacerbates the situation.
Another problem is that children often do not realize that they are harder to see in poor lighting conditions. They rely on drivers always seeing and stopping for them. This misjudgment can be dangerous. Therefore, it is important that children learn early on how to improve their visibility in traffic.

Young people are very sensitive to a wide range of environmental stimuli. For this reason, they also find it difficult to concentrate exclusively on the driving task. This is reflected, among other things, in increased distraction by smartphones and other secondary activities while driving.
Around a third of all accidents in Austria are caused by distraction. Distraction is also the number one cause of accidents among young road users aged 15 to 19.
For this reason, the Austrian Road Safety Board (KFV) developed a workshop with a focus on grades 9 to 13, which deals with distraction in road traffic in two teaching units. The workshop content focuses on the attitude and knowledge level of young drivers and passengers.
The workshop aims to raise awareness that distraction while driving can increase the accident risk. Furthermore, participants should gain appropriate prevention strategies.