What we do
Current Campaign
AIP Foundation is partnering with Vietnamese road safety stakeholders to design and implement a 3-year public awareness campaign in 2011 targeting child helmet use. Children comprise 40% of traffic fatalities and often do not wear helmets due to widespread misinformation about the medical safety of helmets for children. Although the government issued Decree 34 in May 2010 – requiring children over the age of 6 to wear helmets – only 30% of Vietnamese children wear a helmet.
Children also need a helmet
Our current campaign's first phase was launched in November 2011 under the slogan "Children also need a helmet".
Visit this webpage frequently for updated information about our campaign's activities and progress! You'll also find news articles about the campaign, be able to download press releases, and see pictures of every step. Thank you for believing in our cause and helping us spread awareness about road safety in Vietnam!
1. Our activities
Children also need a helmet”- Setting the Facts Straight on Child Helmet Use in Vietnam
From November 2 to 30, 2011, 50,000 flyers refuting widespread myths about child helmet wearing were distributed in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang.
This marks the launch of a public awareness campaign focused on child motorcycle helmet use, which is being run by the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC), the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), and the National Traffic Police (C67). The campaign is being implemented by Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation and will be accompanied by strengthened police enforcement.
While most Vietnamese adults wear helmets, in compliance with the national legislation mandating helmets for motorcycle riders, child helmet use rates are dangerously low. Decree 34 requires children to wear helmets starting at age six, and involves a fine for parents whose children are non-compliant. However, recent observations set the national child helmet wearing rate at 34%, and as low as 16.7% in some areas.
Workshops in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang mobilize local road safety agents
A series of workshops being held in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang in November and December are mobilizing local agents who play a role in road traffic safety. The workshops aim to guide them in developing an action plan to improve the child motorcycle helmet use situation in their cities, and are part of the first phase of our national campaign entitled "Children also need a helmet".
The workshops are being led by high ranking city officials and road safety specialists, which provides attendees with factual information and reinforces the government's commitment to this campaign at the local, city level. These workshops equip parents, teachers, and other road safety influencers with knowledge about how best to protect children on the road. A major objective is to encourage these change agents to be role models and promote responsible behaviors.
Local authorities, teachers, and parents come together in Danang to promote action on child helmet use
City officials lead a workshop in Danang on December 17th to mobilize local road traffic safety agents to improve the child motorcycle helmet situation in the city.
The focus of the workshop was to emphasize and build on the role of parents and teachers as key facilitators and role models for promoting correct child helmet use behavior. Parent and teacher representatives from 10 primary schools in the Cam Le and Lien Chieu districts were instructed on how best to protect and teach their children and students, thereby equipping future generations with the necessary knowledge and skills to protect themselves on the roads.
Family Day in Ho Chi Minh City gathers 1,100 people
Miss Vietnam 2008 hosted a Family Day event in Ho Chi Minh City full of fun activities centered around child motorcycle helmets. Family Day aimed to educate parents and encourage children to wear helmets every time they ride on a motorcycle. The event was attended by over a thousand parents and children at the Children’s House in District 3.
Tran Thi Thuy Dung, Miss Vietnam 2008, participated in road safety games, including helmet painting and bicycle racing. Throughout the day, free helmets were awarded to the children who performed well in the quizzes and competitions.
An interactive children’s play entitled “Lion and Friend” was put on by the “Ngày xua ngày xua” Theater Group. The performance was customized for the event to compare the dangers of the jungle to the threats of the road, as the animals discover the importance of helmets.
2. Our campaign in the news
3. Press releases
Click here to download press releases
4. View pictures in our gallery
News
“In Retrospect,” a documentary created by the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation about the need for children to wear helmets on motorcycles,...
Together, on Saturday, May 11, road safety stakeholders across Cambodia marked Global Road Safety Week by co-organizing a ‘Long Short Walk’...