Discussions about safety and education took place with city authorities and various guests as part of the events surrounding the Rally di Roma Capitale in the beautiful setting of the Teatro Comunale. The testimony of Edward von Freymann, founder of the foundation dedicated to his daughter Gaia, was particularly touching.
26.07.2023 – The conference and debate titled “The Road is Not a Video Game” took place on Tuesday, July 25th, in the beautiful setting of the Teatro Comunale in Fiuggi. The event was open to everyone and the convenor was Motorsport Italia, the organizer of the Rally di Roma Capitale, in collaboration with the Municipality of Fiuggi, the Automobile Club of Frosinone, Safety Drive School, Wheelchair SS Lazio Basket and the Gaia von Freymann Foundation.
The evening was part of the collateral activities revolving around the Rally di Roma Capitale, the event scheduled to take place from Friday, July 28th to Sunday, July 30th, valid for both the FIA European Rally Championship and the Sparco Italian Rally Championship. The occasion also touched on environmental themes, which are essential aspects of this year’s edition of the rally.
Present at the event were Maria Assunta Trinti, Chief of the Local Police in Fiuggi; Angelo Carlo Veneziano from Safe Drive School, along with Tonino Di Cosimo, rally driver and safe driving instructor; Maurizio Federico, President of the Automobile Club of Frosinone; Inspector Danilo Pennacchia from the Local Police of Frosinone; Moreno Paggi, President of Wheelchair SS Lazio Basket; Max Rendina, President of Motorsport Italia and creator of the Rally di Roma Capitale; and Edward von Freymann, Founder of the Gaia von Freymann Foundation. The evening was moderated by journalist Alessandro Biagi.
In front of an interested and attentive audience, the meeting turned into an important occasion for learning and testimony, emphasizing the educational and road safety value of the event. This topic is particularly relevant in light of recent events that have brought these issues back to the centre of public debate.
The speakers delivered impactful speeches, emphasizing the preventive aspect that families, schools and associations must actively pursue to reduce the number of serious incidents, which remain high in Italy, surpassing 3,000 cases per year. Particularly emotional were the testimonies of Moreno Poggi, President of Wheelchair SS Lazio Basket and especially Edward von Freymann. After the loss of his daughter Gaia in the 2019 Corso Francia accident in Rome, along with her friend Camilla, Edward decided to establish the Gaia von Freymann Foundation in her memory, to provide legal and psychological support to families facing the tragedy of a death due to a road accident.
At the end of his speech, Freymann received a resounding applause and stated, “Life is short – a second can change fate, it can prevent more pages of pain from being written. We are all responsible.” His words followed a video that recounted his experience, a powerful experience that he now shares as a testimony, especially to young people.
“I want to thank the Mayor for the hospitality, all the authorities, including the Road Police, Local Police, Firefighters and, above all, my staff, involving over 1200 people, and Fiuggi’s Sapio family. We organized this evening because our sport, unfortunately, is often portrayed negatively, it is only mentioned in negative situations, and rarely do the positive aspects get highlighted. Many drivers are also driving instructors and road safety and education are a shared responsibility. Only through synergistic collaboration can we hope to achieve the goal of safer roads for everyone,” concluded Max Rendina.
