World Children’s Day is celebrated on September 20th. Several Central and Eastern European countries are taking this day as an opportunity to unite in action to increase child safety, with a focus on road traffic. For that reason, in September 2025 child safety is highlighted again all over Central and Eastern Europe, when several EU member states join forces in a campaign to set a sign for child safety in Central and Eastern Europe. The common goal is clear and was set years ago, since the launch of Child Safety Week actions aligned with the European Commission’s Vision Zero initiative: with united efforts, the multiple actions are aimed to increase child safety, with a focus on road safety and accident prevention.

Budapest, 15 September 2025. We take it for granted, but it isn't. It's in all of our interests, but we need to talk about it too: it's SAFETY. Whether we are children or adults, it's only worth living, working, and travelling if it's safe. That’s why this will be the theme of Child Safety Week again across several Central and Eastern European EU-member states this year again. Because children behave differently in road traffic: they see, hear and feel differently, perceive their environment from a different perspective and are distracted more quickly. This makes them particularly vulnerable to accidents. Children need the greatest possible protection and support to be optimally prepared for a safe life. Every effort counts, however, serious accidents involving children happen every day.

Thanks to huge efforts of police and road safety institutions, actions of civil society, infrastructural modifications and technical/digital developments all over Europe, the frequency and severity of accidents show decreasing trends. But the number of fatalities is still high, so comprehensive cooperation is needed to achieve the target of the European Commission’s Vision Zero initiative.

In recent years, various types of scooters have emerged as a particularly worrying hazard in European cities, and their use poses a particular danger to young people. At this year's Child Safety Week events, we will also be drawing attention to this hazard.

In order to reduce accident risks especially for children as effectively as possible, the insurance industry, road safety associations, public authorities and educational institutions from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia have joined forces again to set a common sign for child safety in fall of 2025.

This year, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia participate with a platform about school crossing guards regulations, country-wide public events, university fairs, digital school initiatives in elementary schools, an E-learning platform, and several other various programs, that were launched in the project partners EU member states from summer during autumn as well. The topical focal points, such as the safe way to school and correct behaviour in poor visibility conditions, particularly risky situations will be specifically addressed.

The aim of the joint initiative is to provide children with useful assistance in recognising dangers and correct behaviour and to draw attention to the fact that everyone of us has a crucially important role in taking care of children, one of the most vulnerable road user groups.