The International Conference on Young Road Users’ Safety brings together experts from Romania and across Europe, representatives of public institutions, the medical field, non-governmental organizations, the automotive industry and the road safety community, in a much-needed dialogue on the protection of children, adolescents and young adults in traffic.
The conference aims to create an interdisciplinary framework for analysis, education and collaboration, starting from a painful reality: young road users remain one of the most vulnerable categories when it comes to road crashes. From the correct transportation of a newborn in an infant car seat to the behaviour of teenagers behind the wheel, the conference proposes a comprehensive approach to road safety, based on data, medical expertise, biomechanics, psychology, education, technology and public policies.
The objectives of the conference are to raise awareness of the risk factors affecting children and young people in traffic, to identify concrete solutions for reducing road crashes, to promote the correct use of child restraint systems, to develop road safety education within families, schools and communities, and to strengthen collaboration between authorities, healthcare professionals, specialists, NGOs, companies and civil society.
The topics addressed include risky behaviour behind the wheel, the psychological determinants of dangerous driving, the role of personality traits and locus of control, the medical and trauma-related consequences of road crashes, the importance of biomechanics in understanding impact forces, the role of healthcare professionals in awareness programmes, child passenger safety from birth to adolescence, errors in driving school training materials, innovation in child restraint systems, technology applied to road safety education, and national and European strategies for protecting young road users.
The conference brings together important voices from complementary fields: physicians, psychologists, road safety experts, representatives of the Traffic Police, the Romanian Senate, the European Road Safety Charter, the European Transport Safety Council, ASSMB, UNSAR, the Association of Road Crash Victims, journalists, defensive driving specialists, trauma biomechanics experts, child health professionals, and international organizations dedicated to child passenger safety.
An important part of the conference is the exchange of good practices between organizations actively involved in educating parents and promoting the correct transportation of children in vehicles, with the participation of the Children’s Road Safety Foundation Romania, Securange France, Kids on Board Bulgaria and Kids on Board Hungary.
The event is organized with the support of partners committed to road safety, education, health and innovation, including Porsche București West, Rotary Club București Cișmigiu, RotaryMed, Cybex GmbH, Autoliv Romania, Medicover, UNSAR, as well as representatives of European and national institutions and organizations dedicated to reducing the number of road crash victims.
Through this conference, we aim to move beyond merely acknowledging road tragedies and to build real, applicable and sustainable solutions together. Because the safety of children and young people in traffic is not the responsibility of one family, one institution or one organization alone, but a shared responsibility — one that begins with accurate information, education, collaboration and the courage to change what is not working.
Official Conference Programme
International Conference on the Safety of Young Road Users
Trends and Behaviour Change in Eastern European Countries
14 July 2026 | 11:00–18:00
Porsche București Vest
Șos. de Centură nr. 41, 077040 Chiajna, Ilfov, Romania
Conference Agenda
10:30–11:00
Participant registration and welcome coffee
11:00–11:15
Opening remarks on behalf of the Children’s Road Safety Foundation and Porsche București Vest
Dr. Alice Dona-Mitu
11:15–11:30
Opening remarks by Senator Nicoleta Pauliuc, Senator and President of the Committee for Defence, Public Order and National Security of the Romanian Senate
11:30–11:45
Young People in Traffic: Risk Factors, Challenges and Solutions from a Medical Perspective
Dr. Liliana Hagicalil, Rotary Club București Cișmigiu, RotaryMed
11:45–12:00
Psychological Determinants of Risky Driving Behaviour: The Role of Personality Traits, Driving Style and Locus of Control
Prof. Mihaela Rus, PhD, Ovidius University of Constanța
12:00–12:15
Risk Factors and Driver Behaviour
Mr. Cătălin Condescu, President of the Association of Road Crash Victims
12:15–12:45
Trauma Biomechanics and Road Safety
Dr. Med. Wolfram Hell, President of the GMTTB — Society of Medical and Technical Trauma Biomechanics, Germany
12:45–13:00
The Role of Physicians in Road Safety Awareness Programmes
Representative of ASSMB
13:00–14:00
Lunch break
14:00–14:15
Young Road Users — From Birth to Adolescence: Statistics, Challenges and Solutions
Col. (Ret.) Costin Titel Tătuc, Road Safety Expert
14:15–14:30
Teenagers Behind the Wheel: A New Perspective
Mr. Constantin “Titi” Aur, former rally driver and founder of the Titi Aur Defensive Driving Academy
14:30–14:45
Road Safety Projects within the European Road Safety Charter
Representative of the European Commission
14:45–15:15
Education and Awareness Programmes for Parents — Interactive Panel
Children’s Road Safety Foundation Romania, Securange France, Kids on Board Bulgaria, Kids on Board Hungary
15:15–15:30
The Role of Child Restraint Systems and the Consequences of Their Absence for Child Passengers
Chief Police Inspector Daniel Zontea, Spokesperson of Brașov County Police Inspectorate
15:30–15:45
Is Your Child Also Studying for Driving School? Driving Test Books, Their Errors and Their Potential Role as a Risk Factor in Road Crashes
Alexa Stănescu, Journalist and Ambassador of the Children’s Road Safety Foundation
15:45–16:00
Coffee break
16:00–16:15
Innovation in Child Restraint Systems as a Driver of Change
Cybex GmbH
16:15–16:30
Strategies, Plans and Projects for the Protection of Young Road Users
Claudiu Costea, Chief Commissioner, Romanian Traffic Police, Spokesperson of the Bucharest Traffic Police Brigade
16:30–17:00
The Role of Physicians and Physiotherapists in Choosing the Right Infant Car Seat
Dr. Grațiela Alquadi, Consultant Paediatric Surgeon
Tania Ghinea, Physiotherapist
Maria Christiana Avramescu, Licensed Midwife
17:00–17:15
A Promising Project: The Road Safety Coalition
Claudiu Sofron and Alexandru Ciuncan, UNSAR
17:15–17:30
Technology in Road Safety Education
Autoliv Romania, Kacper Benarczyk Avionaut Poland
17:30–17:45
Road Safety for Future Parents in Urban Communities
Medicover presentation
17:45–18:00
PIN Flash Report on Child Road Safety
Antonio Avenoso, European Transport Safety Council
18:00
Official closing and key message
Dr. Alice Dona-Mitu, Founder of the Children’s Road Safety Foundation
The presentation sessions will be moderated by Alex Grecu, radio host at Radio Europa FM.
Satellite Event: Children’s Road Safety Caravan
As part of the International Conference on the Safety of Young Road Users, a special satellite event will take place for the first time in Romania: the Children’s Road Safety Caravan, dedicated to practical education, testing and correct installation of child restraint systems.
This unique event will bring together four international child passenger safety experts, offering Romanian families direct access to high-level expertise, hands-on guidance and evidence-based recommendations for the safe transportation of children in vehicles.
A particularly meaningful moment will be the participation of Marilyne Kairo, founder of Securange.fr, one of the first and most influential child passenger safety communities in Europe. For many years, long before the Children’s Road Safety Foundation project became a reality in Romania, Securange.fr was a major source of inspiration for our volunteers and for the development of child passenger safety education in our country.
Having Marilyne Kairo with us on 14 July, the day when the Children’s Road Safety Foundation celebrates seven years of activity, and also the National Day of France, is a truly symbolic and historic moment for our community.
The Children’s Road Safety Caravan will offer parents the opportunity to take part in testing and installation sessions, receive personalized advice, and better understand how correct child restraint use can save lives.
The workshop will also include front impact test simulations, organized together with our partner Cybex International, allowing participants to better understand the forces involved in a road crash and the essential role of correctly used child restraint systems. In addition, participants will be able to attend defensive driving demonstrations delivered with the support of our partners from the Titi Aur Defensive Driving Academy, as well as practical first aid demonstrations for infants and young children, organized together with our partners from Mediskill.
We warmly invite families, professionals, partners and all those involved in child safety to join us for this exceptional day of education, collaboration and practical road safety guidance for Romania’s youngest passengers.
