Dear friends and supporters, The holidays are a time of celebration and travel, and as a consequence, the roads fill with tired or inebriated drivers transporting their families. This year, we saw and participated in new government initiatives to make roads safer during the dangerous holiday season. From Thailand to China to Dubai, governments around the world put their focus on enforcing the laws that keep roads safe. We were happy to be a part of these initiatives, and are optimistic that the momentum behind this issue will continue throughout 2014. Kind regards, Mirjam Sidik
1. Global
2. Vietnam
3. Cambodia
4. Thailand
5. China
News update: No lessons learned to check road fatalities in India Lawmakers in India could take note of the success of road safety legislation in reducing road deaths, Vietnam's 2007 helmet mandate in particular. India loses around 380 lives each day in road crashes, and in at least 25 percent of these crashes, two-wheeled vehicles are involved. In order to reduce the number of road deaths, increased legislation and enforcement are crucial.
News update: Dubai chalks out plans for safe New Year celebrations With the target of zero road deaths in 2020, the Dubai Police instituted heavy penalties for stunts and dangerous driving on the country's roads on New Year's Eve. The announcement came after Khaleej Times reported drunk driving accidents in Dubai were up 43 percent in the year to November compared with the previous year.
Child helmet training course organized for policy makers in Quang Binh
On December 29th AIP Foundation organized a training course for policy makers in Quang Binh to enhance implementation and enforcement of the child helmet law. Representatives from the Department of Education and Training, Traffic Safety Committee, and Dong Hoi traffic police attended the course which was supported by the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) with financial assistance from the Bloomberg Philanthropies. Ms. Nguyen Dieu Nuong, National Program Director of AIP Foundation, presented about the status of and challenges to child helmet use in Vietnam. The information presented included current regulations of child helmet use and quality, theories of behavior change communications, and trends in media coverage of road safety. Participants practiced designing, implementing, and evaluating road safety communications campaigns, and registered for forums in which they will be able to collaborate on innovations in child helmet enforcement. End of year review workshops show great improvement at
Helmets for Kids project schools sponsored by Johnson & Johnson
On November 29th and 30th and December 5th, the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation organized end of year review workshops for Johnson & Johnson-sponsored Helmets for Kids project schools in Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, and Dong Nai. At 32 project schools, 10,540 helmets were donated and in turn, helmet wearing rates increased from 22 to 95 percent on average. 36 crash cases have been collected since the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year. In most cases, the student or teacher involved in a road crash suffered less severe injuries because they were wearing the helmet they received as a donation. The schools not only cooperated with Johnson & Johnson and AIP Foundation to conduct the helmet distribution, training, and extra-curricular activities typical of the Helmets for Kids program, they also collaborated with the local government, local unions, and the police department to organize traffic safety knowledge contests, performances, and discussions for students. In 2014, these Helmets for Kids activities will continue at all project schools, and expand to reach more students. Check out the photos. Child helmet use training in Da Nang reaches 103 teachers
On December 12th, the Da Nang Department of Education and Training and AIP Foundation organized a road safety workshop for 103 teachers at Nguyen Khuyen High School in the Cam Le District of Da Nang. The workshop included a seminar on child helmet use that covered national child helmet wearing rates, challenges to helmet wearing, and proven solutions and measures to increase child helmet use. The teachers also participated in discussions on educational activities that have been proven to inspire behavior change among primary school students and their parents. The training course was organized as part of the three-year "Children also need a helmet" public awareness campaign's activities in Da Nang. RMIT University and AIP Foundation work together to promote safe road behaviors
On December 19th and 20th, AIP Foundation spread awareness about road safety at a two-day health and safety event at RMIT University in Ho Chi Minh City. The event included the launch of a campus-wide road safety plan for 2014, including the foundation of a student road safety action group. Representatives from AIP Foundation and Protec staffed road safety booths that provided students with information about proper helmet use, how to identify quality helmets, and how to practice safe road behaviors. In order to warn students about the danger of speeding, Young & Rubicam and AIP Foundation collaborated on a display demonstrating that the impact of crashing when traveling at 67 kilometers per hour is equivalent to the impact of falling from the 5th floor of a building. View the photos here. 4,500 students and parents join "Kids love helmets" family days in Ho Chi Minh City
On December 14th and 22nd, nearly 4,500 parents and students from the Binh Tan and Tan Phu districts of Ho Chi Minh City joined "Kids love helmets" family days organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, the Traffic Safety Committee, and the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation. Family days are being organized in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang as part of the activities of the "Children also need a helmet" public awareness campaign. "Kids love helmets" family days give students and parents the chance to have fun while learning about traffic safety and the importance of helmets through activities like slow cycling, puzzles, helmet decorating, and flash mob dances. In addition to the family day, parents and students of Tan Phu district received hand fans and helmet coupons, and will be entered in lucky draws and invited to attend information sessions conducted by traffic police on the importance of helmet use for children. Check out the photos here. 'Walk with FedEx' tour brings pedestrian safety lessons to 13,019 Students in Ho Chi Minh City
On December 23, FedEx, Safe Kids Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, and Traffic Safety Committee launched the 'Walk with FedEx Tour' to bring pedestrian safety education and equipment to 13,019 students at 14 primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City. From December 2013 to April 2014, Walk with FedEx will educate students about safe pedestrian behaviors through in-class sessions and games. Each participating school will designate one 'Safety Day' for the Walk with FedEx activities. FedEx employee volunteers and school coordinators will facilitate the trainings, distribute pedestrian safety equipment, and provide guidance during mobile traffic simulations that will allow the students to practice pedestrian safety skills in a safe environment. Walk with FedEx is an initiative under Walk This Way (WTW), the road safety advocacy program launched by FedEx and AIP Foundation as Safe Kids Vietnam in 2009 in Vietnam. Since then, WTW has reached over 45,516 students from 70 primary and secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, installed a 1,700 square meter traffic safety park in Dong Nai Province for primary school students, and donated 3,472 helmets, 6,852 reflective jackets, and 45,516 pedestrian safety books to pupils. Check out the photos here.
News update: Traffic Death Toll Rising on Cambodian Roads According to the World Health Organization, nearly 2,000 people died in traffic accidents in Cambodia in 2012; a doubling of the death toll over the last seven years. Cambodia's road deaths account for nine times the number of deaths from malaria, dengue fever, HIV and AIDS, and landmines put together. Cambodian driver behavior is a major factor in traffic deaths; drunk driving and speeding are particularly of concern, along with failure to wear helmets or buckle seat belts.
Parents of Wat Preah Put Primary School learn the value of a helmet in a training sponsored by Manulife Cambodia
The helmet wearing rate at Wat Preah Put Primary School in Phnom Penh has risen rapidly from zero to over 78 percent since AIP Foundation and Manulife Cambodia Plc. donated more than 640 helmets to students, teachers, and parents through Helmets for Families in October 2013. To maintain this increase, AIP Foundation has followed-up with the school to engage parents in road safety activities. On December 13th, parents joined a road safety training course focused on the benefits of correct helmet use and the importance of their roles in modeling good behaviors and ensuring that their children wear their helmets every day. Chevron and AIP Foundation donate 900 helmets to high school students in Phnom Penh through
Helmets for Youth
On December 24th and 30th, Chevron and AIP Foundation hosted helmet kick-off ceremonies at two high schools in Phnom Penh, Cambodia as part of the Helmets for Youth program. A total of 900 helmets were donated to students and teachers at the events and 4,000 students received vital road safety education. Hun Sen Bunrany Wat Phnom High School hosted the ceremony on December 24th that was chaired by a representative of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports. The kick-off ceremony at Boeung Trabaek High School on December 30th was chaired by a representative of the National Police of Cambodia. Both events included student performances, remarks from sponsors and government representatives, road safety lessons, and trivia games. This is the second year of Chevron's collaboration on AIP Foundation Cambodia's helmet awareness activities, and its first year as a sponsor of Helmets for Youth. The events were preceded by training sessions for 100 teachers from both schools on December 18th and 19th. During these sessions, teachers were given information how helmets can prevent serious injuries and best practices for encouraging safe road behaviors in the classroom. At the conclusion of the training, teachers showed their commitment to wearing a helmet at all times when on a motorcycle and signed a public statement indicating their support for the draft traffic law. The traffic law will mandate helmet wearing for motorcycle passengers including children and is currently under review by the Council of Ministers. Read the press release and check out the photos. AIP Foundation and National Police of Cambodia team up to reduce road fatalities
On December 30th, the National Police of Cambodia and AIP Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) committing to work together to reduce road injuries and fatalities in Cambodia by 2016. AIP Foundation President and Founder Greig Craft travelled to Phnom Penh to sign the MoU, along with H.E Chan Kim Seng, Director of Central Department of Public Order, General Commissariat of National Police. The three-year agreement expands Cambodia Helmet Vaccine Initiative project activities to include a street-based awareness campaign, and advocates for passenger helmet use legislation along with increased traffic safety enforcement. AIP Foundation will donate reflective vests, traffic cones, speed guns, and breathalyzers to the National Police in order to support their efforts to increase road safety. The MoU also outlines shared goals including increasing the availability of high quality, affordable helmets, and raising awareness of the importance of passenger and child helmet use. Read the press release.
AIP Foundation and Save the Children pilot helmet bank for students in Bangkok
On November 29th, AIP Foundation launched a two-week trial of a "helmet bank" at the Ban Nong Bon School in Bangkok. The helmet bank offered free helmets for students to borrow and use when traveling on motorcycles. At the launch of the helmet bank, AIP Foundation conducted fun, interactive, and informative activities with 200 students from preschool to 6th grade. Students learned the importance of helmets and how to wear a helmet properly. The activities included educational videos developed by Road Accident Victims Protection Company Limited, which also kindly donated the helmets for the trial. Save the Children is partnering with AIP Foundation, the Global Road Safety Partnership, and CSR Asia to establish a new child helmet wearing campaign in Thailand. As part of the development of this program, AIP Foundation Thailand is conducting a series of small experimental trials throughout Bangkok running from November 2013 to January 2014 and funded by the FIA Foundation and the Road Safety Fund. These trials are testing new and innovative approaches to increasing child helmet use in Thailand. Check out the photos. "Pop-up" child helmet retail kiosk piloted to increase child helmet use in Bangkok
On December 11th, AIP Foundation launched a trial "pop-up" helmet retail kiosk at a petrol station in Si Praya, Bangkok to increase the accessibility of children's helmets. During the two-week pilot, the kiosk sold discounted children's helmets that had been kindly donated by Vespiario (Thailand) Co., Ltd., and trained staff interviewed customers about the motivations behind their purchases This is just one of five pilot projects resulting from a partnership between Save the Children, AIP Foundation, the Global Road Safety Partnership, and CSR Asia. These pilots are intended to gauge the efficacy of innovative measures to increase child helmet use in order to build an effective campaign in Thailand. Experimental trials are occurring throughout Bangkok from November 2013 to January 2014 and funded by the FIA Foundation and the Road Safety Fund. Ban Kookot Preschool holds extracurricular road safety activities sponsored by Sigma Elevator
On December 23rd, AIP Foundation held extracurricular helmet safety activities at Ban Kookot preschool in Minburi, Thailand. These activities were organized as follow-up to Sigma Elevator's donation of 160 helmets to the students through their sponsorship of Helmets for Kids. Students were trained on the fundamentals of road safety, including how to follow traffic laws and how to wear their new helmets correctly. The staff of Ban Kookot preschool has shown great dedication to Helmets for Kids and worked to generate enthusiasm among students about the importance of helmets and practicing safe road behaviors. Further extracurricular activities will be organized to reinforce these lessons in 2014. Check out the photos here. AIP Foundation joins New Year road safety campaign in Thailand
On December 25th, AIP Foundation Thailand and key partners participated in the launch of the New Year road safety campaign in Bangkok. The objective of the campaign is to discourage unsafe road behaviors during the New Year holiday. The campaign targets non-helmet wearing, driving while under the influence of alcohol, and speeding in order to decrease the alarming rate of deaths and injuries occurring on Thailand's roads during the festive season. AIP Foundation was represented at the Bangkok launch on December 25th, led by the Royal Thai Police, Chair of the Safe Road Behavior Sub-committee under the National Road Safety Directing Center, and the Udon Thani launch on December 27th, led by the Deputy Governor of Udon Thani. AIP Foundation representatives staffed a booth at the Udon Thani event, providing information to attendees about the importance of wearing helmets and practicing safe and responsible road behaviors.
Walk Wise pedestrian safety program pilots a Walking School Bus
In honor of China's National Road Safety Day on December 2nd, AIP Foundation and Chevron organized a Walking School Bus for children walking home from Gaoqiao Primary School in Sichuan, China. More than 800 community-members joined in the kick-off event, including 750 students, 30 teachers, 16 parents, eight Chevron staff, three government representatives, four policemen, and the Mayor of Gaoqiao township. The Walking School Bus is a simple yet innovative way to ensure that children get to and from school each day and to increase community awareness of pedestrian safety. Powered by the community, walking school buses consist of a group of children and adult safety guards who walk along established, safe routes to deliver students to school in the morning and back home in the afternoon. The walking school buses come in all shapes and sizes, from a small group of neighborhood children guided to school by a few teachers or parents to a large network of routes and community volunteers serving an entire school with designated "bus stops" and "pick up times." The Walking School Bus is an easy way for communities to ensure the well-being of their children as they walk to and from school while teaching them positive, first-hand lessons on road safety. After the December 2nd kick-off, the Walking School Bus continued to help students return home safely from Gaoqiao Primary School for one month. AIP Foundation worked to engage parents and community-members in this project so that they may continue the activity throughout the year. Check out our photos! Chevron and AIP Foundation donate 1,800 reflective caps to 18 schools in China
On December 22nd, Chevron and AIP Foundation distributed 1,800 yello reflective caps to students of 18 primary schools in Sichuan province to increase their visibility as pedestrians. The donation was made as part of a Walk Wise project event which aimed to promote pedestrian safety awareness in the greater community. More than 1,000 students, parents, and teachers attended the event along with Chevron volunteers and representatives from the Department of Education and the Giaoqiao government. After the event, a Walking School Bus was launched at Qili Primary School following a successful pilot at Giaoqiao Primary School earlier this month. Guests from the community event were invited to participate in the Walking School Bus and to help guide the children on their way home. Qili Primary School will continue to operate the Walking School Bus with support from the local community. View the photos here. AIP Foundation supports Ford's Driving Skills for Life program in Shanghai
From December 19th to 21st, AIP Foundation's International Development Director, Lotte Brondum, travelled to Shanghai, China to assist Ford Motor Company in the implementation of their Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) training program in China. The 2013 DSFL program piloted a training model for Ford employees and their immediate family members to support national efforts to increase road safety around China's National Road Safety Day. Representatives from AIP Foundation shared their road safety expertise with an emphasis on pedestrian safety for children and families. The DSFL program began in the United States in 2003 and launched in Asia Pacific in 2008, with the mission of teaching newly licensed drivers the necessary skills for safe driving. At no cost to participants, the DSFL program improves driver safety and fuel economy for licensed drivers through a comprehensive training course and hands-on driver training. |
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