UPS volunteers and AIP Foundation kick off “Safety Delivered 2019-2020” campaign

Supported by UPS and The UPS Foundation, Safety Delivered is a programme by the AIP Foundation that works with young, inexperienced motorcycle riders in Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines and India, to educate and eliminate distracted riding behaviour, as well as increase helmet use among children.

Approximately 11,000 helmets for students, teachers, and parents will be donated by The UPS Foundation through the Safety Delivered 2019-2020 programme across Ho Chi Minh City and Thai Nguyen. The Safety Delivered programme will reach students at 18 primary schools, including one school which specifically supports students with disabilities, in high risk areas this year. Helmet handover ceremonies at other schools across Ho Chi Minh City in District 12, Go Vap, Can Gio, as well as in Thai Nguyen Province, also took place throughout November.

Russell Reed, Managing Director of UPS Thailand and Vietnam stated, “Everyone has a part to play in creating safer roads and drivers. I am heartened by the dedicated efforts of our UPS Vietnam volunteers working with AIP Foundation to increase students’ knowledge of road safety. Community change requires the concerted effort of advocates and stakeholders alike in promoting positive habits. In doing so, we can create a powerful multiplier effect that will boost road safety efforts and save lives on the roads across Vietnam.”

Safety Delivered’s 2019-2020’s kick-off event saw UPS volunteers training students on various aspects of helmet safety, including proper size and fit, while encouraging them to sign commitments to helmet use.

Following classroom activities, students led traffic safety performances on stage. Nguyen Trong Thai, Chief of the secretariat of the National Traffic Safety Committee remarked, “Child road injury prevention is truly a collaborative effort. Students need to learn about proper helmet use, parents must reinforce safe behaviors, and schools, teachers, and governments should support traffic education and enforce regulations. Events like these bring together all those who have the power to help prevent road crashes.”

Immediately after the ceremony, a parade of motorcycles rode through the surrounding neighborhood, as students, teachers, volunteers, and stakeholders, joined hands in symbolic commitment and carried flags emblazoned with the message: “Love your child. Provide a helmet.”

“By reminding parents that helmet wearing is not only a safe behavior, but also an act of love from a parent to a child, we aim to inspire children and their families to commit to helmet use and road crash prevention. AIP Foundation stands with communities, victims, and those who have lost loved ones to road crashes,” said Mirjam Sidik, CEO of AIP Foundation.