Vietnam aims to increase the number of children wearing helmets to 80 percent in the next three years.
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The Ministry of Education and Training, in coordination with the Australian Embassy and the Asian Injury Prevention Foundation (AIPF), held a meeting in Hanoi on May 10 to promote traffic safety and presented 1,000 helmets to teachers and pupils at Mai Dich Primary School in Hanoi.
Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce said traffic safety is a matter of concern in many countries in the world. It is estimated that around 1.2 million people die and 50 million others are injured in traffic accidents every year, which causes losses equal to 1-3 percent to the world\'s GDP. If the issue is not addressed, traffic accidents will become the third biggest cause of human deaths.
She said that children wearing helmets can reduce 42 percent of traffic-related fatalities and 69 percent of injuries.
AIPF president Greig Craft said Vietnam should increase the number of children wearing helmets to 80 percent in the next three years.
Last Year, cities and provinces in Vietnam reported 13,713 traffic accidents, causing 11,060 dead and more than 10,000 injured, including a significant number of afflicted children. One of major reasons is that the children were not wearing helmets and they did not fully understand the importance of traffic safety.
To help Vietnam improve its traffic safety, the AIPF has committed to work with Vietnamese authorities to raise pupils’ awareness of the importance of wearing helmets.
