Mission Statement

Asia Injury’s mission is to reduce the rising number of traffic fatalities in developing Asian countries, starting in Vietnam, and to raise awareness of their social, economic, and human impact.

An estimated 1.2 million people are killed worldwide in road crashes each year and as many as 50 million more are injured. Projections indicate that these figures will rise by 65% over the next 25 years unless there is a renewed commitment to prevention. Developing nations, especially those in South and Southeast Asia, bear the brunt of this problem, accounting for approximately 85% of all deaths. The World Health Organization estimates that road fatalities will rise to the third leading cause of premature death by the year 2020.

In Vietnam, nearly 40 people die each day in traffic accidents and twice that number suffer debilitating head injury. This is a result of rapid motorization and modernization, where people have the ability to trade bicycles for motorbikes, creating a highly mobile population. Unfortunately, preventative safety measures have not accompanied this increased motorization. Limited traffic safety education, lack of awareness about the effectiveness of helmet use, and inconsistent traffic legislation and enforcement have contributed to annual death tolls of over 12,000 people in Vietnam. In addition, approximately 30,000 more suffer from severe brain damage or head trauma sustained in traffic accidents.

Asia Injury advocates policy change on helmet use and has initiated a number of successful programs to halt the growing traffic safety crisis in Vietnam. Asia Injury established Protec, the world’s first nonprofit helmet manufacturer that produces high quality, affordable helmets designed specifically for South Asian riders and to supply Helmets for Kids, which has distributed over 150,000 helmets to primary school children throughout Vietnam. Asia Injury has also developed a Traffic Safety Education curriculum that has been recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training as Official Teaching Material for the primary school system of Vietnam. We have also created innovative public awareness campaigns using billboards, print advertisements, and bus posters to promote traffic safety and change attitudes about helmet use.

Asia Injury believes that the most effective way to save lives and educate people is to work in collaboration with all segments of society – government, private enterprise, nonprofit organizations, and communities. Working together, these partnerships of interested parties can achieve more than individual interests acting alone. By leveraging the strengths of different sectors, we can foster healthier children, healthier families, and healthier communities.

The time to act is now. Asia Injury believes that education and direct intervention can save tens of thousands of lives from preventable deaths and injury throughout Asia.