Eastern Macedonia and Thrace road safety initiatives gain European recognition
Road safety initiatives by Greece’s Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Region have been recognised as a “Good Practice” and published on the European Road Safety Charter, marking a significant European-level recognition for the region’s educational and public awareness efforts.
Operating under the supervision and guidance of the European Commission, the European Road Safety Charter brings together more than 4,000 public and private organisations from across Europe, including the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Region.
Focus on road safety education
The recognised “Good Practice” primarily covers theoretical and practical road safety education for primary and secondary school students.
The initiatives are delivered through visits by regional officials to schools, as well as annual Road Safety Weeks organised across the region’s regional units.
Students use specialised equipment during the educational activities, including an impact simulator, bicycles for practical traffic education and alcohol impairment simulation glasses.
The programme also includes road safety training for adults, public information events, awareness campaigns and the production of audiovisual material.
Topsidis: Road safety requires education and prevention
Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Regional Governor Christodoulos Topsidis said the European recognition rewards the systematic efforts of the region’s services and staff while strengthening its commitment to expanding road safety initiatives.
“Road safety is not limited to the construction and maintenance of infrastructure. It requires knowledge, prevention, responsibility and proper road behaviour,” Topsidis said.
He added that investing in children’s education would help shape responsible drivers and citizens in the future, while expressing the region’s goal of expanding the initiatives beyond individual schools and reaching communities across Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.
The region said it will continue updating its European Road Safety Charter entry with new initiatives and available data, while further strengthening road safety awareness, education and prevention activities across all of its regional units.
