Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Public awarenesscampaigns and education will be used to promote use of child car seats andseatbelt for children under a new initiative.
The Automobile Association Vietnam (AAVietnam) and non-profit organisation Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation,in collaboration with the Hanoi Traffic Safety Committee, has launched achild car seat initiative at Nam Tu Liem Primary School in the capital.
It is modelled after the FederationInternationale de l’Automobile’s toolkit for child safety in cars, and willadvocate the use of seatbelts and child seats to be included in the law.
“Vietnam does not currently have laws enforcingthe use of restraint systems and seatbelts for children,” said Luu Xuan Binh,deputy chief of the Hanoi Traffic Safety Committee’s Secretariat.
“As more families make the shift frommotorcycles to cars, the Government and the public sector need to work togetherto address these growing safety concerns through legislative change.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),in Vietnam, road crashes cause an estimated 24,970 deaths and more than 499,400injuries each year.
Children are particularly vulnerable with 1,900dying each year. In fact, road crashes are the second leading cause of deathfor children between the ages of five and 14.
WHO said wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk ofdeath among drivers and front seat occupants by 45-50 per cent and the risk ofdeath and serious injuries among rear seat occupants by 25 per cent.
Besides parent training workshops and governmentadvocacy, the AIP Foundation will implement a public awareness campaign onsocial media and install a number of hoardings in busy traffic areas around Hanoi.The campaign will reach approximately 78,440 people.
“The programme aligns with the theme of the 5th UnitedNations Global Road Safety Week: leadership for road safety,” said Hoang Na Huong,managing director of AA Vietnam.
“The parents attending the training will becomechampions in changing society’s behaviour and protecting children.”
The Child Safety Toolkit is funded by the FIAFoundation through the FIA Road Safety Grant Programme to promote and enforcechild passenger safety.-VNS/VNA
VNA