A global celebration of the 2022 Week of Action for Road Safety.

 

May has been a special month for us as our team joined forces with the international community to raise our voices for the #CommitToAct Streets For Life campaign. We were proud to make noise for livable, safe, and affordable mobility during the Live from Leipzig:30 in Action event and Twitter storm hosted by The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety.

 

In the spirit of the #CommitToAct campaign, we gathered with our Government partners in Gia Lai province to celebrate the incredible results of the Slow Zones, Safe Zones program. Milestones include the approval of the first School Zone Definition and approval of the first nationwide-applied traffic safety e-curriculum for primary students in Vietnam.

 

From the assessment of Star Rating for School (SR4S) results, all 25 surveyed schools were upgraded to 3 stars and above. 21 schools out of 25 schools were upgraded to 5 stars – the highest-ranking regarding safety with SR4S.

 

In Gia Lai, we are also working together with FIA Foundation, Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), and FRED Engineering to eliminate high-risk roads in Vietnam with a human-centered approach as we presented the key findings of the Citizen Engagement Study. At its heart, this study puts the voices of road users first, by engaging with them to speak up and share in order to improve the infrastructure of the roads they are using everyday.

 

As part of the Safety Delivered program, students enjoyed expressing their road safety knowledge through art in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam. The drawing contest ​​ gave students an opportunity to reflect on the lessons learned during the program and express their own ideas on helmet safety by creating their own artwork. In Thailand, UPS volunteers led several training stations on road safety to engage parents and make them commit to keep their children safe on the roads. 

 

Together with Bridgestone Thailand, we are driving the 1st Bridgestone Global Road Safety Project for youth in Phuket, Thailand. The first generation of the Youth Road Safety Champions of this program are leading the way for youth engagement in road safety and advocating for #StreetsForLife and #CommitToAct. We are also proud to share that the safety zone of our project school, Kathu Wittaya school, has just reached the highest SR4S 5-star rating following our infrastructure modifications.

 

On a regional level and putting youth voices first, the expansion of the regional Heads Up! video competition empowers youth to tackle the global road safety crisis in 10 countries across the Asia Pacific region. This expansion creates further opportunities for students in our region to be able to participate in the competition and share their ideas on how to raise the awareness around quality helmet use among their families, peers, and general road users.

 

​​AIP Foundation engaged media agencies with a collaborative press conference sharing knowledge on the top 5 behavioral risk factors in Vietnam. To achieve the global target of reducing road injuries and fatalities by 50%, a human-centered approach to mobility - and above all road safety – is mandatory for collaboration and behavioral change. The goal of this press conference was to give the information and tools for the press and journalists to support dissemination and awareness raising among mass audience, as well as decision makers.

 

As we jump into June and prepare for our upcoming activities we know that there is a long road ahead. However, with your support, we know that we do not walk alone. 

 

CEO, AIP Foundation