Over the past century, transportation technologies have evolved rapidly due to breakthroughs in automation, vehicle connectivity, and the rise of cooperative systems. These innovations are reshaping how vehicles, infrastructure, and road users interact, moving toward shared situational awareness and coordinated safety. In this context, protecting Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs, including pedestrians, cyclists, powered two-wheelers, and other unprotected participants, has become a priority, as they face a higher risk of injury or death in traffic accidents, making their safety a crucial objective for modern intelligent transportation systems. To address this challenge, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has developed the VRU Basic Service (VBS) and the VRU Awareness Message (VAM) to enable VRUs to be consistently represented within Cooperative-ITS environments.