2026-10-05
Road safety starts in childhood: D. Jonušis on racing and responsible driving
From July 14 to 17, the 28th edition of the largest endurance race in the Baltic States, the “Aurum 1006 km” race, will take place in Palanga. As every year, special attention during the event will be devoted to improving road safety and raising drivers’ awareness. Speaking at the Transport Safety Forum held last week, race organiser Darius Jonušis said in his presentation that road safety starts in childhood, and that educating road users about responsible behaviour is an integral part of the race.
“You do not become a driver when you pass your driving test and receive your licence. Drivers are shaped from childhood, by what they hear from friends, parents and grandparents. Sometimes a phrase overheard somewhere can become the foundation of a person’s understanding of a particular issue. So, whatever knowledge and attitudes about responsibility, seat belts or speed a person brings with them when they begin learning to drive, that is what remains in their subconscious. Later, all that is left is to learn the road signs,” says D. Jonušis.
According to him, this is precisely why road safety cannot be limited to a single campaign or catchy slogan. It needs to be discussed continuously and in different ways – there is no way of knowing which message will ultimately stay with a child, teenager or already licensed driver and influence their behaviour on the road.
Motorsport also provides a kind of contrast in this respect. Although spectators come to the races to watch speed, on the track itself speed is inseparable from rules, discipline, preparation, the ability to observe the surroundings and anticipate the actions of other participants. Here, speed has its place – on a closed and controlled track. In public traffic, what matters most is not how fast a driver can go, but how responsibly they are able to make decisions.
Over nearly three decades, the “Aurum 1006 km powered by Hankook” race has grown from a motorsport competition into one of the biggest summer events on Lithuania’s seaside, with its start, accompanied by greetings from the Mayor of Palanga, bringing together crowds of locals and visitors on Vytauto Street. At the same time, this means there is a large audience that can be reached not only with messages about sport, but also with road safety messages. D. Jonušis is pleased that government institutions are increasingly making use of the event for this purpose as well.
“I am very pleased that more and more people understand that this is not just a race. It is an event for the entire Lithuanian seaside region, where important messages can be communicated and various activations carried out. For many years, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Lithuanian Police and Via Lietuva have been successfully doing this. We have a large audience, so we want the event to be used for educational purposes as well,” says the race organiser.
As the race is being held for the 28th time, it is also possible to see how it is shaping new generations of road users. Spectators who came to Palanga as children a decade or several decades ago are now drivers themselves, and some of them are already bringing their own children to the race. Therefore, according to D. Jonušis, talking about road safety needs to be consistent and repeated year after year – driving culture is shaped long before a person first sits behind the wheel of a car.