Viet Nam Marks Third UN Global Road Safety Week to Keep Children Safe on Roads

Children around the world, including in Viet Nam will sign a "Child Declaration for Road Safety" and present it to leaders around the world calling for more actions to improve road safety.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that globally around 186,300 children perish on roads each year, one every four minutes. Hundreds more children are injured every day, many severely. These traumatic events cause immeasurable suffering and grief, and at times economic hardship for families and friends. In addition, they cost societies precious resources, diverting these from other pressing health and development challenges.

In Viet Nam, road traffic accidents place a huge burden on society, claiming nearly 9,000 lives and causing tens of thousands more injuries in 2014, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC).

"Injuries and deaths resulting from road traffic accidents are a growing health concern. It is the leading killer among children from 10 to 19 years old in Viet Nam, claiming about 2,000 young lives a year," said Mr Jeffery Kobza, Acting WHO Representative in Viet Nam.

Records from one major hospital in Hanoi reveal that among all road traffic injuries which resulted in hospitalization in 2014, 15-19 year olds accounted for almost 10% of the cases and fatalities also remain high in this age group.

During the Third UN Global Road Safety Week, WHO, UNICEF and its partners including Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Foundation and the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation highlight ten key strategies for keeping children safe on the road:

1. Control speed
2. Reduce drinking and driving
3. Use helmets for bicyclists and motorcyclists
4. Restrain children in vehicles
5. Improve children's ability to see and be seen
6. Enhance road infrastructure
7. Adapt vehicle design
8. Implement graduated driver licensing
9. Provide appropriate care for injured children
10. Supervise children around roads

Viet Nam has recently taken some of these strategies forward such as the introduction of mandatory helmet wearing. The Government has also taken a number of strong measures to control drink driving through increased public education. Initial evaluations have shown an increased public awareness on the consequences of driving after consuming alcohol.

A cross-cutting challenge in implementing these measures is the lack of enforcement. Limited enforcement of helmet wearing for children is a case in point.

"Child road-traffic injuries and related fatalities continue to affect a disproportionate number of Vietnamese children, more attention needs to be paid to regulation and voluntary use of helmets among children," said UNICEF Representative Mr. Youssouf Abdel-Jelil.

WHO and UNICEF call for strict enforcement of helmet wearing, in both adults and children. Concurrently, public education and behavior change interventions are essential to change attitudes and increase demand for child helmet wearing among parents and teachers.

To mark the Third Road Safety Week in Viet Nam, the NTSC with support from WHO and UNICEF, and the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) will implement a series of public education campaigns targeted at saving young children's lives and those of vulnerable road users. Posters, television and radio clips will be broadcasted nation-wide during the Road Safety Week to raise public awareness about safety for pedestrians and road safety in Viet Nam.

WHO and UNICEF in collaboration with international stakeholders support Viet Nam in raising awareness and promoting actions against major road safety risk factors which include lack of helmet wearing, drink driving, speeding and the lack of pre-hospital trauma care capacity at community level.

For more information, please contact:

• Ms Tran Thi Loan, WHO Viet Nam, Tel: +84 4943 3734/5/6 (ext. 83886), Mobile: +84 90 488 7997, Email:media.vtn@wpro.who.int
• Ms Laura Ngo-Fontaine, Communications Specialist, UNICEF Viet Nam, Tel: +84 4 3942 5706 ext 271, Mobile: +84 966 539 673, Email: lngofontaine@unicef.org