3,000 members of the Cai Mep port community attend “Get Home Safe” festival

Festival attendees and guests signed the international pledge to “SlowDown to Save Lives”

The event was hosted as part of the Lifting Safety program and in commemoration of the 4^th UN Global Road Safety Week, which ran worldwide from 8-14 May, 2017. Lifting Safety is a partnership between APM Terminals, AIP Foundation, and the Vietnamese government, which provides drivers and staff of Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT), a subsidiary of APM Terminals, with safe driving skills training, while also working with the people of the surrounding community.

“Watching our staff at CMIT gain valuable driving skills over the past six months has been emotionally inspiring,” APM Terminals Vice President of Health, Safety, Security, Environment and Sustainability of APM Terminals, Kevin Furniss, said. “I’m excited they will be able to transfer this life-saving knowledge to their community at today’s event, in order to raise awareness about the importance of staying safe on the roads.”

During the event, attendees participated in road safety-themed interactive games and watched informative comedic performances. They also viewed a documentary featuring program activities and listened to speeches made by distinguished guests, including singer Lam Truong, comedy group Xuyen Viet, and music group Fban, who joined community members at the event.

The “Get Home Safe” festival focused on promoting two key messages: “A road crash can happen in the blink of an eye” and “Save lives - slow down.”

Festival attendees and guests signed the international pledge to “SlowDown to Save Lives” in support of this year’s UN Global Road Safety Week. The global event brought together notable advocates, nonprofits, and governments to address the issue of managing safe vehicle speeds worldwide.

“Seeing APM Terminals, CMIT, and government officials come together to support this initiative is a great example of how community members can collaborate to create positive change,” AIP Foundation CEO, Mirjam Sidik, said. “New data shows that Lifting Safety is a key element in making CMIT employees safe road users for life. The percentage of truck drivers with an excellent or good knowledge of defensive driving skills has improved by nearly 40 percentage points after our recent training programs.”

Deputy Chief Secretariat of the National Traffic Safety Committee, Mr. Vu Quy Phi

“We are proud to see thousands of community members come out in support of the ‘Get Home Safe’ festival and of how influential the Lifting Safety program has been in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province,” Deputy Chief Secretariat of the National Traffic Safety Committee, Mr. Vu Quy Phi, said. “The successes we’ve seen in the CMIT port community are strong evidence for us to expand this initiative beyond Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. We’re excited to see how other communities can benefit from the Lifting Safety approach.”

As part of the program’s current phase, AIP Foundation is developing and distributing an educational booklet for truck drivers. The team is also preparing to install environmental modifications, including rumble strips and traffic lights, on major highways close to the CMIT facility.

The Lifting Safety program was launched in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province in December 2016 during a road safety program that included interaction between truck drivers and primary school students. The program launched a behavior change communications campaign via billboards and radio ads to address drowsy driving issues.