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Fall 2025 Update – CARSP Young Professionals Committee

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Welcoming Our New Members
The CARSP Young Professionals Committee (YPC) is thrilled to welcome five new members in 2025 to our growing team! Each year the YPC expands its network of passionate students and young professionals dedicated to advancing road safety in Canada. You can learn more about our new members and read their bios on the CARSP Website.

YPC Structural Changes

Since its formation, the YPC has grown from a small, dedicated team into a thriving network of young  road safety professionals. To strengthen local engagement, we recently introduced Regional Coordinator positions. The YPC now consists of:

  • Executives, who meet monthly to plan national initiatives and oversee strategic goals
  • Regional Coordinators, who meet quarterly to organize local events and outreach

With five Executive Members and seven Regional Coordinators now on board—and growing interest from students and young professionals—the YPC is stronger than ever.

2025 Reflections & Events

This year has been one of our busiest years! Here’s a look back at some of the key initiatives the YPC has been involved with:

  • 3rd Global Youth Assembly & 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety (Feb 15–20, 2025)
    Two YPC executives, Robert Colonna and Jerome Range, represented Canadian youth at these pivotal international events in Marrakech, Morocco. Over 150 young leaders from 130 countries gathered to discuss safer and more sustainable mobility and to launch the Global Youth Statement for Road Safety. Read more here.
  • “Making Vision Zero a Reality” Event (March 27, 2025)
    The YPC hosted a hybrid session with the ITE McMaster Student Chapter, featuring discussions on Vision Zero research and networking opportunities for students and professionals. Speakers included Robert Colonna (YPC Chair, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, CAMH), Jonathan Sukhu, (Transportation Systems Designer, Arcadis), and Chenhao Zheng (Master’s Student, McMaster University).
  • CARSP/ICTCT 2025 Road Safety Conference (May 20–23, 2025)
    The YPC saw record-breaking participation, with over 45 students and young professionals in attendance, most presenting their work. A major highlight behind the scenes was a private meeting between the YPC executives and senior leaders from Transport Canada. Read more here.
  • “Vision Zero & Road Safety in Canada” Webinar (October 10, 2025)
    Two YPC Regional Coordinators, Robert Mansell and Cameron Mohammadi, alongside Events Director Abanoub Gaber, hosted a joint webinar with ITE Toronto. The event attracted 165 participants from across Canada, marking the first major initiative led by our regional coordinators and fostering meaningful dialogue between students, emerging professionals, and seasoned practitioners. The session featured three expert speakers: Liraz Fridman (CARSP President; Road Safety Supervisor, City of Guelph), Sheyda Saneinejad (Manager, Vision Zero Projects, City of Toronto), and Maryam Hasanpour. (YPC Vice Chair; Associate, Transportation & Safety, 30 Forensic Engineering). After Robert provided a brief history and overview of the YPC, the speakers shared municipal Vision Zero case studies, discussed practical approaches to predicting pedestrian crashes, and offered insights on advancing the safe-system approach in Canadian road safety programs.Pictured: Screenshot of Jonathan’s presentation during the “Making Vision Zero a Reality” Event

Pictured: Robert Mansell discussing Canadian youth involvement in global road safety during the “Vision Zero & Road Safety in Canada” webinar

2026 Conference Updates
It’s that time of year again—planning is underway for the 2026 CARSP Conference, which will be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia in partnership with the Atlantic Collaborative on Injury Prevention (ACIP) and Parachute Canada. We’re excited to bring back many YPC-led initiatives, including:

  • The Student Paper and Poster Competitions
  • In-person networking and professional development events
  • The YPC Mentorship Program, returning for its third year

Important: As with the 2025 Conference, student paper and poster competition abstract submissions will align with the general call for abstracts. This means all students must submit their abstracts in late November, with full papers due later. Stay tuned for more details!

To learn more or express interest in joining, please reach out to us at YPC_Chair@carsp.ca.

Robert Colonna,
Chair, CARSP Young Professionals’ Committee