About us

‘Safe Driver’ – Krzysztof Hołowczyc’s Foundation

Name: ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation
Address: ul. Śmiała 26, 01-523 Warszawa, Poland
tel. +48 22 327 16 35
Website:  www.kierowcabezpieczny.pl
E-mail address: fundacja@holowczyc.pl
Date of registration: 03.03.2004
Founder: Krzysztof Hołowczyc
Board of Directors: Jarosław Józefowicz

‘Safe Driver’ Foundation was established in 2004 by Krzysztof Hołowczyc – race driver, Poland and Europe Champion. This commonly liked sportsman and huge authority in automotive arena, is also a promoter of activities for improving safety on polish roads. The Foundation runs a multidimensional activity, cooperates with public institutions and private enterprises, coordinates the actions and patronages road safety initiatives. Cooperating with MIVA Poland, Polish Motor Union, Polish Police Headquarters and National Road Safety Council, the ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation has soon become one of the most active and opinion-forming organisations within Road Safety area.

Foundation’s statutory goals:

  • Working for improving the safety level on polish roads.
  • Popularising rules of safe participation in traffic.
  • Communicative education of children and teenagers.
  • Increasing the abilities of safe driving, among drivers of various vehicles.
  • Working for establishing Road Safety forming programs.
  • Working towards building the network of modern roads.
  • Supporting cooperation between institutions and firms popularising road safety issues.
  • Supporting self-government institutions for local Road Safety.
  • Supporting actions within the scope of fundraising for Road Safety from EU funds.
  • Developing and promoting vehicle dispute in Poland, as drivers’ abilities forming element.

The Foundation’s message bases on promoting a responsible attitude of participating in traffic, and the positive communication in media is an integral element of its work. That is a communication with drivers without using gory pictures from the accident scenes, without using people’s tragedies, without grim, graveyard-like symbolism. The base for Foundation’s work and activity is a positive message given in modern method, and its main goal is preventing road accidents by obeying traffic regulations, appropriate self-evaluation, keeping wariness and concentration as well as completely sober driving.

The Foundation’s goal is to get to the highest number of recipients, and that is why the contact with them is being established on many different areas, the most important of which are:

  • countrywide media campaigns directed to all of the traffic participants
  • actions inspiring to working for road safety improvement
  • educative actions for communities interested in working for road safety
  • road safety-themed events and festivities, in which Krzysztof Hołowczyc actively participates.
  • showing the film ‘Experiment Life’ on the TV within the ‘ORLEN. Safe Roads’ program, in which Krzysztof Hołowczyc presents the most common causes of road accidents.
  • communication with children and teenagers by issuing comic books broaching the subject of safe driving. Its main character is Krzysztof Kierowczyc, a man based on Krzysztof Hołowczyc.
  • supporting actions of other social organisations.
  • promoting the presence of Road Safety subjects in media.

 

Characteristic element in Foundation’s works is a Safe Driver’s Shield – Foundation’s logo with St Andrew’s cross – a warning sign for drivers. Two letters ‘K’ connect it to a comic book character, Krzysztof Kierowczyc. Vivid colours and modern graphic form directs it especially towards children and teenagers. The Shield is to symbolise protection from road accidents. At the same time it informs, that the driver having the Shield in his car is aware of and responsible for his and others life and health. Shield stickers are given at the events organised by the Foundation. They are also available for everyone who takes part in ‘Check what Kind of Driver You Are’ test at www.kierowcabezpieczny.pl. Shield is becoming more popular, given the amount of people interested in receiving one, and that fact directs it to become a nationwide symbol of the responsible driver.

 

Awards and honourable mentions.

‘Safe Driver’ Foundation has received many prestigious awards:

- Best Educative Initiative 2007 – The award for the Best Educative Initiative was given too ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation and PKN ORLEN S.A. This award, given by Minister of Education and Teachers’ Voice Editorial Office is an appreciation for accomplishing the Contest of Initiatives – the main element in a long-term program ‘ORLEN. Safe Roads’. The awards are given at an annual Teacher of the Year Gala held in the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

- ‘Best of the Best’ Medal – the Contest Chapter awarded ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation for total activity for road safety conducted in the Warmian-Masurian region and for promoting the region in Europe. Organisers appreciated the honourable mention that European Commission awarded ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation with. It was given for effective and innovative social campaigns, including ‘Think Sober – Drive Sober’, ‘Safe Crossing Depends on You’ and ‘ORLEN. Safe Roads’ actions.

- European honourable mention Excellence in Road Safety Awards - ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation was the only Polish non-governmental organisation mentioned in the first edition of Excellence in Road Safety Awards. Awards in the contest organized within European Road Safety Charter are a way of appreciating effective and innovative initiatives held in Europe, in order to decrease the number of road accident victims.

- ‘Militio pro Christo’ Medal – on 7 January at the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army Field Bishop – brig. gen. Tadeusz Płoski awarded Krzysztof Hołowczyc with Militio pro Christo Medal. Mr. Hołowczyc received the medal for his massive input for Road Safety.

- In April 2004, ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation as the first Polish non-governmental organisation signed the declaration of participation in the European Road Safety Charter.

 

Foundation’s most important works

One of the most important actions developed and organised by Foundation is a long-term, countrywide program ‘ORLEN. Safe Roads’. Its goal is not only popularising road safety, but also mostly making a real improvement in this area. That is why the countrywide contest for local initiative in improving road safety is the main point of the program. Contest of Initiatives ‘Safe Roads’ is directed not only to non-governmental organizations (associations, foundations, motor-clubs) but also schools, academies, firms, self-government units and private institutions, which potentially means everyone who can socially work for road safety. Only the institutions formally obliged to work in this area are excluded from the contest. The first edition turned out to be a major success, almost 250 initiatives from all over Poland applied. Contest Chapter awarded the best 15. Second edition of the program was launched on 25 July 2007.

Remembering the importance of communicative education, Foundation runs its own program ‘I Think Soberly, I Drive Soberly’. Program’s first edition was initiated on 20 April 2006, during a press conference at Warmian-Masurian University. The action’s aim is to make teenagers aware of the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol. This campaign is directed towards Gymnasium and High School students. Up to September 2006 in a few districts of Warmian-Masurian Voivodship (the region with the highest level of the road danger) the experimental version of the Program was run. During the first edition, a group of experts conducted a wide-range research and came up with many interesting conclusions. They are used to improve the next edition of the Program, which started on 23 April 2007.

In 2005, Foundation took up the patronage over Polish Railways’ action ‘Safe Crossing Depends on You as Well’, propagating both drivers and walkers’ proper behaviour while crossing the railway tracks. In the course of this action, numerous discussions about safety rules on railway crossings were aired on radio and TV stations. Another edition, in 2006, was promoted with a TV spot with Krzysztof Hołowczyc advising and reminding of what a safe railway crossing should look like. An addition to the media campaign was an educating comic book, ‘Crossing’, where Krzysztof Kierowczyc saved a girl from train wheels.
In 2007 the action was renewed, this time using the title ‘Stop and Live”, and is continuing the works for safety on railway crossings. Third year running, the action has given visible results.

 

Other important actions run by the Foundation

2007

-European Night without Accidents – that is the next time Foundation helped MIVA Poland in organising European Night without Accidents. It is the first year action took place in Olsztyn as well. There was no change in rules: young people who decided they restrain from drinking alcohol that night, upon entering the disco were given shiny armbands. While leaving the place they were checked with a breathalyzer. 30% of people declaring their abstinence had over 0.5 per mille of Breath Alcohol Content. Organizers encouraged those people to leave their cars and use other means of transport. Those who kept their promise and did not drink received gifts.

- ‘Safe Holidays’ – Thanks to cooperation with Echo Miasta, a free newspaper, on every Thursday throughout the holidays, starting on 14th June, people in the cities where Echo is distributed, received a new column with their paper: ‘Safe Holidays’. That is where Krzysztof Hołowczyc shared his experience, gave advice and answered the readers’ questions.

- ‘A Few Beers...’ comic book premiere – the official presentation of ‘A Few Beers...’ comic was held on 18-19th May, during the 10th Agapit Race near Olsztyn. The comic’s idea comes from ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation, and a great Polish artist, Jarosław Gach, is the author. That is the second book where we can see Krzysztof Kierowczyc, the drawing version of Krzysztof Hołowczyc.

 

2006

- ‘Training policemen and soldiers from Radom’ - ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation together with Opel Driving Academy, executed trainings for policemen and gendarmerie soldiers.

-‘Safe Roads’ campaign – the key element of this campaign was publishing around 670,000 copies of local press appendix devoted to road safety. ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation was a partner of this campaign. ‘Safe Road’ Appendix was spread with 16 daily newspapers around Poland.

- ‘July 25th – Day of a Safe Driver’ – Drivers’ National Priest Marian Midura and Krzysztof Hołowczyc announced July 25 as a Day of a Safe Driver. The Day of a Safe Driver’s celebrations was accompanied by many interesting events. The campaign promoting this idea was aired on Polish Radio 1 and some other stations Warsaw. Action ‘A Day without a Ticket’ was led together with the police.

- ‘Pressure Controlled’ – The aim of ‘Pressure Controlled’ action organized by Michelin, is to encourage drivers to check regularly the pressure in their tyres. Krzysztof Hołowczyc participated in this year’s inauguration at the Bank Square in Warsaw on 18 September. After the press conference, Mr Hołowczyc advised the drivers how to drive safely and encouraged to regularly checking the pressure in tyres. Similar event was held in Olsztyn on October 18.

- ‘European Night Without accidents’ – European Night without Accidents took place on October 15, in 20 discos around Poland. Organised by MIVA Poland, the event was supported by ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation. Action started in Belgium in 2003, this year was held in 12 countries of EU. It takes place at youth clubs and discos, places where fun is usually accompanied by alcohol. People taking part in this action, after declaring their abstinence for the night, put on shiny armband ‘ORLEN. Safe Roads’. When leaving the club they were checked with breathalyser and those who kept their promise were awarded with gifts.

 

2005

- ‘Take it easy– you’re going on holiday’ – that is the motto of another social campaign initiated by Foundation. Its aim is to convince drivers to a calm, considerate and aggression-less attitude, especially during summer months. PKN ORLEN S.A. and media: Cityboard Media and Onet.pl collaborated with this action. One of the action’s elements was to make participants familiar with their psychological profile as a driver and basing on this – show them conclusions prompting towards the right road attitude. The test (psychoanalysis) checking inclination to dangerous behaviour on road was published at www.kierowcabezpieczny.pl.

- ‘Pet Safe in Journey’ – this countrywide program ‘Pet Safe in Journey’ initiated by ‘Four Paws’ magazine, started in June 2005. It propagated taking responsible care of animals during a journey. ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation took up a patronage over this action.

- ‘My Childs is Safe” - ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation took patronage over the fifth edition of this action led by Radio Rzeszów. Its aim is to make parents travelling with their children aware that child seats and seatbelts are a necessity. Spot where Krzysztof Hołowczyc convinced parents to think of their children’s safety was aired on the radio.

- ‘Drive yourself Soberly’ – with the help from ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation there was a picnic for youth promoting ideas of sobriety in traffic organised. The event took place at the Freedom Square in Wroclaw. Foundation presented the Mleczko&Hołowczyc ‘Be a Safer Driver’ exhibition. Krzysztof Hołowczyc was a guest of a City Hall’s picnic called ‘Sobriety – a Guarantee of the Road Safety’.

 

2004

- Appeal to the drivers ‘We are all responsible for safety on our roads’ – Together with MIVA Poland, Polish Police Headquarters, National Road Safety Council and Polish Episcopal Conference Press Office we made an appeal to the drivers highlighting the importance of socially-moral aspects of regarding traffic rules.

- Action ‘To Europe with a Smile’ – within the fourth Road Safety Week, ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation led a social action: ‘To Europe with a Smile’. Its aim was to promote positive attitudes among traffic participants, especially upon Poland’s entering the EU.

- Mleczko&Hołowczyc Exhibition – 8 May 2004 was the opening day for Mleczko&Hołowczyc ‘Be a Safer Driver’ Exhibition. It took place at Jasna Góra Monastery, in Father Kordecki’s chamber and consisted of full of humour Andrzej Mleczko’s drawings and pictured using a comic book character advices made by Krzysztof Hołowczyc. Exhibition visited many cities.

 - Drivers’ Pilgrimage – Polish Countrywide Drivers’ Pilgrimage, organised by MIVA Poland, for the third time took place at Jasna Góra Monastery – this year on 8 May. Representatives from Polish Police Headquarters and Krzysztof Hołowczyc from ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation were among invited guests.

- Action ‘Safe Race’ – Polish Motor Union and ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation ran an action ‘Safe Race’ during the 30th Kormoran Race. Its aim was to direct participants, audience and media’s attention towards the problem of polish road safety, especially in the context of engaging racing community into promoting safety attitudes.

- Action ‘Chris’ with the motto ‘I don’t drink when I drive and that’s why I’m still alive’ a two-year ‘Chris’ campaign for promoting sobriety was launched. It is organized – under the wings of European Commission – MIVA Poland and Krzysztof Hołowczyc’s ‘Safe Driver’ Foundation. Rules of this Countrywide Drivers’ Help Action are very simple: before attending an event where alcohol will surely be served we are advised to choose a ‘Chris’ – a person who a person who will not drink and will later safely drive the rest of the partygoers home.




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