DRSC News
DRSC is pleased to welcome Erik Donkers as a new Board member and Treasurer. Erik is a Senior Road Safety Specialist and the founder of VIA Road Safety Software, and has worked in road safety for more than forty years.
Erik founded VIA in 1984. For the first 25 years of his career he worked mainly in the Netherlands as a road safety consultant, advising policymakers, road authorities and the police on why collisions happen and which measures make a difference. Around 2010, recognising that good road safety decisions depend on good insight, and that not every organisation had access to it, he turned his attention to developing software that gives stakeholders of any size a clear picture of their local road safety situation. This grew into a family of applications (VIA Software, BLIQ, CROSS and CrashR) now used in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Chile. In 2025, Erik handed over the company to his son, Giedo, and continues to support VIA with his knowledge and experience.
Erik holds an MSc in Traffic Engineering and Urban Planning from the Nationale Verkeersakademie (the Dutch National Traffic Academy), followed by postgraduate studies in road safety.
“Education is an essential tool. My time at the Verkeersakademie and my specialisation in road safety shaped everything that came after.”
Throughout his career, Erik has delivered many training sessions on combining VIA’s software with road safety work.
“What I enjoy most is seeing people become enthusiastic. Real progress starts at the moment someone realises what the data is telling them and what they can do with it.”
Erik’s decision to join DRSC reflects both his professional background and a personal connection to the programme. A colleague at VIA’s office in Chile is a DRSC alumnus, and Erik has seen the impact of the course first-hand.
“When I look back on my career and experience, DRSC is really a logical choice. You see how much it changes the way someone works, and you also see how much work still lies ahead.”
As Treasurer, Erik will draw on more than forty years of experience as an entrepreneur.
“I’ve seen a small company grow into an international one. I hope that experience helps DRSC build on a sound footing and keep developing, so that even more professionals around the world can benefit from it.”
