“Fun with Traffic Safety” Day celebrates 10 years of Vietnam’s national helmet law

“We are proud to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the national helmet law with primary school students, some of our most vulnerable road users, who will nevertheless grow up to become some of our biggest road safety advocates,” said Mr. Pham Ngoc Tuan, Manager of Political Department from Hanoi Department of Education and Training. “I hope that this event helps encourage students and their families to stay safe on the roads.”

The event included exciting road safety-related activities for students at Tien Phong Primary School, including a helmet handover, helmet sculpture painting, a helmet wearing contest, and a special performance by the National Vietnam Circus. The students participated in a flash mob dance to celebrate.

Attendees also marked ten years of the national helmet law by looking to the past and acknowledging those who had provided crucial support. “On 15 December, 2007, Vietnam saw an immediate change in helmet use overnight thanks to well-coordinated efforts by multiple stakeholders and a highly effective public awareness campaign,” said Saul Billingsley, Executive Director of the FIA Foundation.

The Vietnam Helmet Wearing Coalition (VHWC) received special recognition for their contributions to building support for the law and pushing it to the forefront of public discourse. The VHWC, led by AIP Foundation, provided funding and in-kind support for a landmark public awareness campaign, Wear a helmet. There are no excuses, prior to the passage of the national helmet law. This campaign, supported by the Vietnamese government, is frequently cited as one of the influential factors in the enactment of the national helmet law.

“The Vietnam Helmet Wearing Coalition’s advocacy efforts demonstrated to the government that supporters from around the world were ready to share expertise to address low helmet use on Vietnam’s roads,” said Mr. Greig Craft, President of AIP Foundation.

Despite the success of the national helmet law, child helmet use enforcement remains a major concern.

“After 10 years of implementing the national helmet law, we have achieved significant success. However, there is still a long journey ahead; the helmet wearing rate for children aged 6 years old and above remains low. When we have strong enforcement programs, the rate of children wearing helmets increases to 50%-60%. Without enforcement, the rate stays at 30-40%. This is our challenge as well as our mission for the near future” said Dr. Khuat Viet Hung, Vice Chairman of NTSC.