Global Newsletter – October 2021

How to create a new generation of safe road users in India: education for youth through teacher training on helmet use

MUMBAI, India – October 9, 2021

Ask any teacher around the world and they will tell you that their most important responsibility is to protect their students from danger. In India, teachers were at the forefront of safeguarding their students’ lives by attending a road safety training as part of the Safety Delivered program, supported by The UPS Foundation.

The Blossoms Sunderbai Thackersey English High School was established in 1977. The school is located at a complex zone behind an administrative building and next to S.N.D.T. University. The lane in front of the school is very crowded as it also serves as a public parking space, making it difficult for the school bus to park safely. Therefore most parents drive their children and students to and from school on their motorbikes or scooters. However, students are often traveling to school without wearing helmets, putting them at high risk.

 

AIP Foundation, with the support of the Western India Automobile Association (WIAA), has welcomed the School Principal, Madam Geetha Pillai, and her dedicated teachers and staff in a Zoom classroom to learn practical skills on helmet use and road safety. Schools in Mumbai recently resumed face-to-face classes after a long pause due to Covid-19 restrictions and safety.

Teachers became the students as they gained knowledge on the global road crash crises, as well as their roles and responsibilities in preventing their students from being unsafe on the streets. The training also provided an opportunity for them to increase their expertise and skills on proper helmet use, learning various head sizes measurement methods. Inspired by the training, the teachers will promote road safety to their students by imparting the life-saving skills they learned. After the training, the teachers felt better equipped to safeguard every student from the dangers of the road.

“[We want to] thank you for your informative session for us. Many teachers have said to me that it was really informative. There were a lot of points we didn’t know previously, but [whenever] an accident happens, we feel sorry for the family and for the children [and] everybody connected. However, personally, we accept the number of these [accidents], but nothing is done. It is really not simple. Such [an] initiative is very much the right time for us. It was very nice today to have this training session. [Teachers] enjoyed [it] and they can spread the message,” expressed Madam Geetha Pillai, Principal of the Blossom school.

Safety Delivered is a program implemented by AIP Foundation to work with primary school students and motorcyclists in high-risk areas in India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam by educating youth on safe driving skills as well as increasing helmet use among children.

A national commitment to the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 -2030: Thailand empowers and engages youth to create safe and sustainable roads for life

 

BANGKOK, Thailand – October 28, 2021

We are losing our next generation at an alarming rate. Children and young adults aged 5-29 are more likely to die from a traffic crash before any other cause of death. In Thailand, according to a Ministry of Public Health report assessing the impact of road crashes between 2011 to 2019, over 26,000 children had died in a motorcycle crash and 265,758 were injured on the roads. The main victims were the age group of 15-19 years, followed by the age group of 10-14 years. Among them, 72% learned to drive a motorcycle from family members and friends, 87% did not pass the safety training, 86% did not have a driving license, and 55% had motorcycle crashes on 100-110 CC. These deaths are preventable. If we want to empower our youth to be a part of the solution, we must listen to them.

At AIP Foundation Thailand, this is exactly what we do. At the core of these programs, activities are empowering and engaging our youth to be safer road users. Our programs are inherently aligned with the Global Plan and Thailand’s National Road Safety plan.

On October 20th, a ceremony was organized to prepare and celebrate the launch of the 2nd Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and to share the Global Plan with senior Government officials. Mrs. Sumalee Pratoomnun, AIP Foundation Thailand Senior Project Officer, was honored to hand over the Global Plan to Mr. Wittaya Jansena, Director of Road Safety Integration Unit, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. Mr.Wittaya was pleased to receive the Global Plan, that will shape the development of the national road safety action plan in Thailand.

AIP Foundation Thailand was delighted to welcome representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Public Health, teachers, parents, and leading road safety experts. The ceremony was chaired by Mr. Nikorn Chamnong, Chair of the Asia Pacific Regional Network for Road Safety Legislators and Vice Chairman of the Transport Commission, House of Representatives.

Earlier this year, in September, AIP Foundation Thailand participated the Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Road Safety Legislators Annual meeting. The theme for this year’s meeting was Decade of Action for Global Road Safety (2021-2030) – focusing on children and young people. During the meeting, Members of Parliament were provided with updated information on the road traffic burden on children and young people, as well as experiences from the region on translating from law to actions to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries among young people.

Young people are effective advocates for road safety among their peers when they have access to engaging and interactive programs and resources like the Global Plan. Youth are leading the fight towards a safer future for themselves. We need safe and sustainable roads for life BY young people FOR young people.

To read more about the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, please click here.

A national commitment to the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030: Vietnam aligns its National Strategy to ensure safe and sustainable roads for life

HANOI, Vietnam – October 28, 2021

On a street in Pleiku City, Vietnam in 2019, a peaceful city with less than 500,000 people, two 13-year-old girls rode their bicycles to school, a road they had memorized as part of their daily commute. One of those girls, Ngoc, would be tragically killed before ever stepping foot into the classroom.

A few minutes away from the two girls was a bus, traveling at an excessive speed, estimated to have been driving as fast as 60-80 km/hour. A speed, well over what is considered safe in any area — much less a school zone. At this speed, the bus was completely unable to slow down or stop upon approaching the school.

So that no other family would be ripped apart like Ngoc’s, AIP Foundation piloted the Slow Zones, Safe Zones program in Pleiku. In recognition of the life-saving impact of investing in school zone safety, on August 12, 2020, the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee issued official document No. 1656/UBND-NC, which calls for Pleiku City authorities to allocate funding for school zone road modifications and further reduce speeds.

The document represents a landmark step towards defining and securing safer school zones in Vietnam, demonstrating the government’s steadfast commitment to protecting children on the roads and the growing potential for Pleiku City to serve as a model city for safe school zones nationwide. We are proud to share that this achievement in Pleiku is now being scaled up to a national level in Vietnam.

At the Safe School Zones Guide Partnership Framework signing ceremony in Hanoi, our Founder and President, Mr. Greig Craft, officially handed over the 2nd Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 Global Plan to Mrs. Kieu Thi Diem, Deputy Director of the Traffic Safety Department at the Ministry of Transport.

AIP Foundation Deputy CEO, Mrs. Hoang Na Huong was also present at the meeting and provided a walkthrough of the Global Plan for the senior officials at the Ministry of Transport. The Global Plan aligns with Vietnam’s National Road Safety Strategy and supports meeting the goals of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development as part of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.

The Ministry of Transport issued Decision No. 419/QD-BGTVT dated March 18, 2021, approving the implementation plan of the National Strategy to ensure road traffic order and safety during the 2021 – 2030 period with a vision to 2045 with the ultimate goal to annually reduce 5 – 10% of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents in a sustainable way.

All new roads and those under maintenance will meet road safety criteria before opening up for traffic. From 2031 to 2045, the numbers of road accidents, deaths, and injuries relating to road accidents will gradually reduce, toward a “Vision Zero” in which no one will lose their lives on the roads.

From all of us at AIP Foundation, congratulations, Vietnam! We look forward to paving safe roads for life with you.

To view more photos from the handover of the Global Plan, please click here.

To read more about the Global Plan, please click here.

AIP Foundation drives national change to safeguard every child on every journey to and from school

HANOI, Vietnam – October 21, 2021

 

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Today, we are proud to share that AIP Foundation and the Ministry of Transport signed the Partnership Framework for the Safe School Zones Guide (SSZ Guide) 2021 -2025 to safeguard every child on their journey to and from school in Vietnam. In collaboration with our long-time partner, FIA Foundation, we are developing the SSZ Guide to reduce injuries and fatalities in and around all school zones by improving road conditions and setting legal speed limits across the whole country.

 

In Vietnam, over 17 million children are commuting between home and school 2-4 times per day. The dangers of the road are everywhere. Many children share the road with speeding trucks, they have no sidewalks to walk on going to school, and no standardized school zones exist yet. Alarmingly, traffic speeds around schools frequently and significantly exceed internationally recommended school zones’ speed limits.

 

The SSZ Guide aims to reduce road crash injuries and fatalities by developing a safer road

environment around schools by establishing a national policy and legal framework for the

creation of school zones to protect vulnerable children and road users. The SSZ Guide builds upon the success achieved in Pleiku city, where our pilot program, Slow Zones, Safe Zones resulted in extensive road modifications, infrastructure improvements on the school streets, and speed was reduced by 18-21 km/h.

 

At the SSZ Guide signing ceremony today, AIP Foundation and the Ministry of Transport emphasized the importance of developing a national Safe School Zones Guide for Vietnam and having it approved and issued for national application. Our Founder and President, Mr. Greig Craft and Mrs. Kieu Thi Diem, Deputy Director of the Traffic Safety Department, were further joined by Mrs. Hoang Na Huong, AIP Foundation Deputy CEO, and two senior officials who are assigned by the Ministry’s leader to be contact points for the SSZ Guide Project 2021-2025. By signing the Partnership Framework, both parties officially commit their roles and responsibilities for this national project. The SSZ Guide will provide a policy and procedure framework for safe school zones to be constructed and implemented around the country.

 

Mr. Greig Craft was honored to officially hand over the 2nd Decade of Action for Road Safety Global Plan to the Ministry of Transport’s Leadership representative at the meeting. This was truly a symbolic moment, representing Vietnam’s inherent alignment of its road safety agenda and the Global Plan.

The SSZ Guide will be used to implement infrastructure modifications at 13 schools in Northern, Central and Southern Vietnam. The aim of the 4-year program is to apply the SSZ Guide nationally outlining mandatory engineering parameters for all school zones in Vietnam including 30km/h speed limits. All newly built schools will be designed with these parameters in mind and all existing schools will be gradually updated as well.

 

This aligns with Vietnam’s National Road Safety Strategy and supports meeting the goals of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development as part of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. We are truly proud to take this first step together with our partner, FIA Foundation to safeguard every child on every journey to and from school.

 

To view more photos from the signing ceremony, please click here.

To learn more about the Global Plan, please click here.

Empowering teachers to safeguard our next generation in Vietnam through proper helmet wearing

 

Hanoi, Vietnam – October 21, 2021

 

Whenever you ride your bicycle or your motorbike, you cannot forget your helmet! However, a helmet itself is not sufficient to provide full protection. It is of paramount importance that the helmet also fits the wearer properly. In Vietnam, teachers were at the forefront of safeguarding their students’ lives by attending a helmet measurement training online as part of the Safety Delivered program, supported by The UPS Foundation. AIP Foundation welcomed 99 teachers from Thai Nguyen Province and 139 teachers from Ho Chi Minh City to the helmet measurement training.

 

The training provided an opportunity for the teachers to increase their expertise and skills on proper helmet use, learning various head sizes measurement methods. The measuring methods are designed with easy-to-find tools. Some households may even have this equipment already available. This means that teachers benefit from hands-on experience as they practice measuring their head sizes along with us. Inspired by the training, the teachers will promote road safety to their students by imparting the life-saving helmet measurement techniques they learned. After the training, the teachers felt better equipped to safeguard every student from the dangers of the road.

 

Safety Delivered is a program implemented by AIP Foundation to work with primary school students and motorcyclists in high-risk areas in India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam by educating youth on safe driving skills as well as increasing helmet use among children. During the next two years, the Safety Delivered program will distribute 4,900 helmets to students and teachers from ten program schools in Ho Chi Minh and Thai Nguyen province, Vietnam.

A growing legacy: the expansion of the Helmets for Kids program in Thai Nguyen province Vietnam

 

THAI NGUYEN, Vietnam – October 15, 2021

 

As part of the growing legacy of the Helmets for Kids Program, AIP Foundation with support from Johnson & Johnson, is expanding one of our signature programs to another three new schools in Thai Nguyen city. These project schools are located in areas at high risk for crashes. The expansion was launched with an orientation workshop and teacher training co-hosted by our Government partners in the province.

 

The opening speech was delivered by Mr. Tran Van Long, Deputy Head of the Traffic Safety Committee of Thai Nguyen province, and Deputy Director of the Department of Transportation of Thai Nguyen province. AIP Foundation warmly welcomed the attendance of Mr. Tan Hoang Long, Chief of Office of the Traffic Safety Committee of Thai Nguyen province, and Mr Nguyen Duc Minh, Representative of Thai Nguyen Department of Education and Training.

 

Following the opening remarks, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Quy Linh, AIP Foundation National Program Director delivered a speech on the importance of the 2nd Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 – 2030. All relevant stakeholders from the road safety field reassured their commitment to both the 2nd Decade of Action for Road Safety and Vision Zero.

 

AIP Foundation hosted a presentation on the project orientation, helmet standards, and proper helmet wearing. During the meeting, a training was held for teachers of the schools that newly joined the project for this school year 2021-2022, as well as a refresher training for the schools that joined the project during the last school year in 2020-2021. A total of six project schools were trained, with 30 teachers attending. The training provided an opportunity to increase the teachers’ expertise and skills on proper helmet use, by learning various head sizes measurement methods. 

 

The purpose of the training was also to introduce interactive teaching methods on road safety, especially on helmet safety. Inspired by the training, the teachers will promote road safety to their students by imparting the life-saving skills they learned. The teachers were also introduced to educational materials on helmet safety that will be distributed to the project schools. After the training, the teachers felt better equipped to safeguard every student from the dangers of the road.

 

Since 2012, AIP Foundation and Johnson & Johnson have partnered together to promote child helmet use and deliver student road safety education at schools in target provinces throughout Vietnam through the Helmets for Kids program. From 2020-2021, AIP Foundation will continue to implement the Helmets for Kids program to work with vulnerable program schools and communities.

 

To view more photos from the event, please click here.

 

To read more about the Helmets for Kids program and our partnership with Johnson & Johnson, please click here.

 

To read more about the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, please click here.

Vietnam engages young people in the use of big data and artificial intelligence to build sustainable communities

 

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam – October 8, 2021

 

Following the successful launch of our newest big data program, AIP Foundation hosted a stakeholder meeting to provide the latest updates of AI&Me in Vietnam, a program which empowers young people to identify and report unsafe road conditions to the government for road modifications. The meeting welcomed Government representatives and provided insight into the program’s progress.

 

The progress highlights of the program include three signed Memorandum of Understanding with local governments in 3 provinces and in-depth interviews that have been conducted to identify the needs of youth. These results were shared with our partner, iRAP who is currently developing a youth engagement app (YEA) based on the needs assessment. We were also pleased to share that the big data analysis report with the methodology for assessing high risk schools has been completed. Based on the findings, iRAP and Anditi are now working on screening 1,200 schools in the three cities to select 106 high-risk schools.

 

Within the next year, upcoming program highlights include carrying out master training on the operation and results of the Big Data Screening for the local implementing partners. The YEA is expected to be ready for use by May 2022 and discussions will take place with governments for the selection of 18 schools to pilot the YEA. The YEA will provide greater awareness of road risks and an easy, exciting, accessible channel for youth to self-advocate, all with young people’s voices at the heart of the design. 

Road crashes are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years globally. In Vietnam, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimated that more than 6,200 children and youth aged 5-29 were killed in road crashes in 2019. This represents a public health crisis that disproportionately affects young people most. 

 

AIP Foundation’s three-year AI&Me program, is supported by Fondation Botnar – a foundation which champions the use of AI and digital technologies to improve the wellbeing of young people in urban environments – as well as the FIA Foundation, Anditi, and iRAP. Together we are developing a ‘youth engagement app’, to offer young people an efficient way to identify and report high-risk road conditions, providing them with a platform for their voices to be heard. Through the app, government officials will receive data as actionable recommendations to make effective and evidence-based road safety interventions.

 

To read our press release please click here.

 

To find out more about Fondation Botnar please click here.

 

To find out more about the FIA Foundation please click here.

 

To find out more about iRap please click here.

 

To find out more about Anditi please click here.