Youth for Safe Roads aims to engage and empower young people in Moldovan communities
We are pleased to spotlight the work of the Automobile Club of Moldova (ACM) for their Youth for Safe Roads project which was launched in May 2026 with the support of Moldova’s National Youth Agency. Through this project, our partners aim to raise road safety awareness in young people and help them become advocates for road safety through grassroots engagement in communities across Moldova.
The project responds to recent data which shows that of the 2,782 people in Moldova who were involved in crashes in 2025, approximately 1 in 5 were children, a 24% increase from the previous year, with those between 18 and 20 years old representing the most exposed age group with the highest number of injuries.
In June, Youth for Safe Roads involved a series of training sessions held at the Edineț Municipal Youth Centre. The project uses ACM’s interactive educational guide Be Aware! Be Safe, which was developed as part of their Safe Generation Education and Action for Safe Roads project to introduce key principles of road safety to local young people and highlight the importance of taking a proactive approach to their safety with reference to helmets and high visibility clothing. The guide, which is aimed at novice drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooter users and was designed to be easy for teachers and youth workers to integrate into their work with children and young people can be accessed on YouTube and includes case studies, practical exercises and specific recommendations for road users.
A core goal of the project is to develop awareness into action. ACM and a group of volunteers took to the streets of Edineț with chalk to write their own road safety messages and to draw attention to existing pavement markers on nearby roads reminding pedestrians to cross safely. Similar activities were also coordinated in Chișinău with the support of the National Inspectorate of Public Security. This activism revolved around the Stop! Look! Listen! rule and encouraged locals to be mindful crossing busy streets.
ACM’s engagement with young people through the Youth for Safe Roads project demonstrates their commitment to empowering them to become activists in their communities. In doing so, they are laying the foundations for positive change in local contexts to address a national problem.
Going forwards, ACM plan to work with at least 20 educational institutions and youth organisations across the Republic of Moldova, delivering their training sessions to teachers and youth workers, alongside dedicated workshops for young people to develop their civic skills.
With road casualties being the leading cause of death for young people globally, we need policies and approaches to road safety that engage young people in a meaningful way and that resonate with modern mobility patterns. As we approach International Youth Day on 12 August, this project is a reminder that sustainable road safety will only be made possible by inspiring young people to speak up and advocate for themselves and their safety.