Seniors

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 main road safety challenges we are addressing relate to the increasing number and vulnerability of older road users in traffic.
As life expectancy increases and people remain mobile longer, the proportion of senior drivers is growing. This trend brings several safety-related challenges:
1. Age-related decline in driving abilities:
With age, many individuals experience reduced visual acuity, slower reaction times, decreased attention span, and limited cognitive and physical flexibility — all of which can impair driving performance and increase crash risk, particularly in complex traffic situations.

2. Lack of awareness about new traffic infrastructure and rules:
Many older drivers may not be familiar with modern traffic features such as roundabouts, dynamic signage, or changes in highway driving behavior. This lack of familiarity can lead to confusion, hesitation, or incorrect maneuvers.

3. Delayed self-recognition of diminished driving fitness:
Seniors often have difficulty recognizing or accepting their own limitations. Without proper guidance, they may continue driving when it is no longer safe, putting themselves and others at risk.

4. Insufficient communication about legal obligations:
Older drivers are often unaware of the legal requirements surrounding driver’s license renewal, mandatory medical assessments, and other responsibilities related to continued driving.

5. Limited knowledge about alternative mobility options:
When it becomes unsafe to drive, older adults may not know what options are available to them, which can lead to social isolation and a decline in independence.

6. Stereotypes and lack of societal support:
Older drivers are often unfairly stigmatized, which may discourage them from seeking help, discussing concerns, or exploring new solutions. At the same time, the broader community may not be sufficiently informed on how to support them.
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Our initiative addresses these problems through a combination of awareness-raising, education, respectful dialogue, and collaboration with stakeholders. The goal is to promote safer, more confident participation of older adults in traffic — whether as drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, or passengers.

TyreSafe is addressing the critical issue of tyre-related road casualties by equipping all road users with the knowledge to identify and act on poorly maintained or illegal tyres. Our mission follows the Safe System approach, recognising human error and injury tolerances, and aims to eliminate harm through education, engineering, and enforcement. TyreSafe’s focus is on reducing incidents caused by poor tyre maintenance, illegal tread depth, under-inflation, and other defects. Research consistently shows tyres are one of the most neglected safety components. Data from our 2023 Tread Depth Survey revealed over 6 million tyres are replaced annually when already illegal. A 2022 post-collision investigation revealed that 81% of vehicles involved in incidents had tyre defects. Despite this, under-reporting in Police collisions data, Stats19, limits national awareness. TyreSafe’s campaigns, research and stakeholder engagement address this knowledge gap. We work with government, emergency services, tyre industry and other road safety groups to increase understanding and action. TyreSafe’s vision is zero harm from tyre defects on UK roads. By raising awareness, influencing behaviour and advocating for better data and enforcement, we aim to instil long-term change and reduce preventable tyre-related collisions and casualties.

Children and young people (till 25 years old) make up 41% of the world’s population (United Nations, 2024) and about 25% of this age group is represented in the EU population (Eurostat, 2024). They are an active group, often dependent on public space for movement and social interaction. Yet, that public space is not designed with them in mind, nor does it reflect their world and needs. This has consequences. Every day in Flanders, an average of 10 students (aged 3 to 18) are involved in traffic crashes on their way to school (VIAS Institute, 2019–2023). Over 60% of those victims were walking or cycling. In Europe there were still 455 fatalities amongst children and 2 388 fatalities amongst youth which shows that mobility is not yet inclusive, safe and of high quality for all.
Poorly adapted public space brings dangers and challenges, but it also has more subtle barriers. Children and young people are becoming increasingly less physically active. Regular movement is however essential for both their physical and mental health. One way to encourage this movement is by promoting walking and cycling from an early stage and at a young age.
Inadequate public space also negatively affects the independence of children and young people. About a quarter of students in Flanders are driven by car even for short trips between home and school. That’s unfortunate, because travelling independently helps children learn how to navigate their environment, assess risks, and interact with other road users. This builds confidence and equips them with the skills—and the right—to travel alone.

Based on our topic modelling study of road safety literature for older EU road users, we have identified several critical challenges that disproportionately affect the ageing population. First, older pedestrians and cyclists face significantly higher fatality rates due to frailty and vulnerability, especially in urban environments lacking safe infrastructure. Our findings highlight the urgent need for age-friendly design, including 30 km/h zones, improved crosswalks, and well-maintained sidewalks.
Second, while targeted driver training (cognitive, visual, and simulator-based) can reduce crash risk by up to 30%, these programs remain small-scale, methodologically inconsistent, and underfunded. Third, although technologies like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) offer safety benefits, they are underutilized by older drivers due to usability barriers.
We also address a key policy issue: the tension between safety and mobility. Arbitrary age-based licensing restrictions risk undermining elderly independence. Evidence-based, functional fitness-to-drive assessments are needed.
Lastly, our study reveals major gaps in research concerning emerging mobility modes (e.g., e-bikes, scooters) and underserved populations like older pedestrians. By applying a novel machine learning approach across multiple databases, we mapped these gaps and proposed evidence-driven solutions in infrastructure, education, vehicle technology, and licensing policy, aligned with EU Vision Zero goals and the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety

In 2024, Kerry County Council’s Road Safety Office launched a series of road safety campaigns, with the lead conference aimed at older road users and aligning with ‘Transportation’ a World Health Organisation Age Friendly Theme. This event was delivered in partnership with Age Friendly Kerry and Older People’s Council Kerry and in association with An Garda Síochána and the Road Safety Authority.
The conference addressed changes in road layouts, signage, speed limits, road traffic laws, and how vehicles and driving habits have changed. It focused on promoting safer driving behaviour. Presentations were delivered in plain language to ensure all attendees could fully engage.
The event offered older drivers an opportunity to share their experiences and raise concerns about their safety on the roads. The event served as an information session and a valuable opportunity for engagement with older road users.

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.

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.