Spain

The first major challenge was to make this pastoral action known within the Church's own structure in Ourense. The CEE's Road Pastoral Department was created in Spain more than 50 years ago, but in many dioceses, no initiatives are carried out and priests are unaware of it. The surprising thing was that families, communities, and neighbors, as soon as we began working on these initiatives, began to follow us, asking for more action, and feeling supported in the loneliness caused by the loss of a loved one, a friend, a neighbor, or a car accident. Every year, the number of people participating in the scheduled sessions increases.

The problem: 2,000 cyclists die each year on European roads and no effective solution.

The solution: Beloo, the first free safety app for cyclists that alerts GPS navigators or vehicle infotainment systems to the presence of cyclists on the road, in addition to other safety features.

This system allows lives to be saved by alerting vehicles in advance that they will encounter a cyclist or group of cyclists in the coming kilometers, reducing the possibility of an accident.

This project already has the support of cycling and triathlon federations, as well as private sector companies aware of cyclists' vulnerability.

We hope to protect millions of cyclists worldwide with the support of both European and international institutions.

The LEDONE Connected project began in early 2021, following the publication of new Spanish regulations promoting connected emergency signaling, specifically through the Real Decreto 159/2021. The objective was to develop a V16 emergency light that would not only meet legal standards but go further in terms of safety, visibility, and connectivity. Sustainability was not a regulatory requirement, but a value deeply embedded in Erum Vial's philosophy and business model.

The first phase focused on R&D, resulting in a high-visibility design (the tallest on the market) with 360° lighting powered by 10 high-intensity LEDs, a dual magnetic/adhesive fixation system for universal vehicle compatibility, and the optional LEDONE Arrow for enhanced lateral visibility in large vehicles.

Erum Vial integrated NB-IoT connectivity provided by Vodafone, ensuring reliable communication with national road safety authorities. Additionally, we developed the LEDONE mobile app to offer real-time connection confirmation, direct access to emergency contacts, and tow tracking tools.

The project followed a phased timeline:

• 2021: Technical research, regulatory analysis, and initial design with a focus on safety, visibility, and integration of IoT.
• 2022–2023: Industrialization of the product in Erum's manufacturing plant in Alcoy, using 100% recycled plastic and applying sustainability practices as a corporate commitment—not due to any regulatory mandate.
• 2024–2025: Full-scale distribution across Spain with more than 20,000 sales points and ongoing collection of field data for product improvement.

Key activities include app development (LEDONE App), firmware updates, user feedback analysis, and public awareness campaigns on connected safety devices. The project is ongoing and ready for European scalability, with continuous improvement based on real-world use and user feedback.

The stagnation of accident and mortality figures in Spain, particularly regarding run-off-road incidents, demonstrates that traditional road safety solutions, while still essential, have reached their maximum possible impact. Road network authorities must therefore immediately commit to new, disruptive, and innovative measures. An urgent response is required to make the European goal of Zero Victims by 2050 achievable, and this response must be supported by solutions that harness the potential of technology and artificial intelligence.
The main pain points are as follows:
1. High accident rate: Worrying levels of accidents, run-off-road incidents, and pedestrian collisions persist, resulting in severe human and economic consequences.
2. Reactive rather than preventive safety: Existing systems intervene only after an incident to minimise its consequences. There are very few real-time risk detection and alert mechanisms in place.
3. Lack of connected response: There are no infrastructure-based solutions capable of automatically detecting incidents or run-off-road events unless incorporated by the vehicle itself, which often leads to critical delays in notifying emergency services or alerting other road users.
4. Limited technological adaptability: Many roads lack basic supplies such as electricity or signal coverage for remote management.
5. Level of investment: While national authorities are progressively beginning to invest in advanced technological solutions, budgets remain limited, often restricted to pilot programmes and trials without genuine commitment. In numerous regional and local administrations, no officials have yet been appointed for road modernisation or digital transformation, and no budgets are allocated for these matters.
6. Digital technological expertise among road administrators: There is a clear shortage of technical profiles with expertise in IT or telecommunications, and public administrations are slow in equipping themselves with such profiles.
7. The challenge of intelligent infrastructure and the connected vehicle: There is an urgent need to seek alternatives to large-scale V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication protocols between vehicles or between vehicles and infrastructure, as these may not prove effective in the short term due to factors such as public investment levels, the gradual renewal of the vehicle fleet, or the complexity of harmonising protocols across manufacturers and countries. Tactical solutions that demonstrate real, immediate impact are critically needed.
These are the principal pain points slowing the advancement of smart road deployment, understood as an entire ecosystem of connected, proactive, and preventive solutions to ensure safe, sustainable, and intelligent mobility.

In Valladolid, one of the main road safety challenges we identified was the safety of children on school routes, especially at intersections with high vehicle flow and limited visibility. Traditional pedestrian crossings, marked only by paint, often fail to capture drivers’ attention — particularly during early morning or late afternoon hours when light conditions are poor, and traffic is dense.

Children, due to their smaller size and unpredictable behavior, are among the most vulnerable road users. Despite the presence of static signage, many drivers fail to reduce speed near school zones, and pedestrians, especially children, faced heightened risks when crossing.

We addressed this issue by implementing the Retrolight System®, an innovative smart crosswalk solution with embedded LED panels and intelligent vertical signage, in one of Valladolid’s key school routes. The system uses real-time sensors to detect pedestrians’ intention to cross and activates dynamic lighting both on the ground and in vertical signs, immediately alerting approaching drivers. By combining active visual cues with automated detection, the system significantly improves pedestrian visibility, raises driver awareness, and ultimately reduces crossing-related risks. This project serves as a replicable model for enhancing safety on school routes across urban environments.

At Grupo Santalucía and its Agency Network, we are concerned about accidents caused by mobility and road safety issues.

Since 2021, we have gone beyond the business sphere of the Group. We aim to extend our concern, means, and resources to society, with a special focus on older adults, to raise awareness and educate senior citizens about road risks they face, especially in cities as pedestrians. We also want to make them protagonists of the change through active listening to their requests as road users, with the aim of improving mobility and safety in their environments.

To this end, we began senior road safety campaigns in 2021. The challenges we encountered and that shape the mobility of this group include:

7 out of 10 seniors live in cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants.

Walking is a common form of travel among older adults.

Psychomotor conditions can lead to incidents during travel.

40% of traffic fatalities occur in urban areas.

Of those, 69% are pedestrian fatalities.

The fatality rate in these accidents is 4.2 times higher than for the rest of the population, rising to 9.2 for those over 85.

The aim of determining fitness to drive is to achieve a balance between minimising any driving-related road safety risks for the individual and the community and maintaining the driver’s lifestyle and employment-related mobility independence. Driving a car is a complex and dynamic task and there is a wide range of conditions that temporarily affect the ability to drive safely like consuming substances or fatigue. Professional drivers are particularly affected by fatigue. The main effect of fatigue is a progressive withdrawal of attention from the road and traffic demands leading to impaired driving performance. The particular practice of professional drivers include working long hours, prolonged night work, working irregular hours, little or poor sleep, and early starting times which in many cases lead to fatigue. Fatigue causes reduced alertness, longer reaction times, memory problems, poorer psychometric coordination, and less efficient information processing. The results of different surveys world-wide show that over 50% of long-haul drivers have at some time almost fallen asleep at the wheel.

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.