Please describe the main road safety challenges/problems you have addressed or are addressing.
Every year, 2,290 children die due to road injuries in Vietnam, making it the second leading cause of death among Vietnamese children ages 514. With a population of nearly 96.4 million people and 59.2 million registered two-and-three wheel vehicles, quality helmet use is essential to saving lives. Despite the overwhelming evidence that quality helmet use can reduce the risk of serious brain injury by 69% and death by 42% in a crash, child helmet use rates continue to be as low as 4% in Vietnam. In response to this alarming reality, Johnson & Johnson has partnered with AIP Foundation since 2012 to address the low helmet wearing rates among children in Vietnam. The ultimate aim of Helmets for Kids is to improve children's safety on the roads in Vietnam by increasing their helmet use rates and road safety knowledge through a comprehensive and complementary set of objectives, which include: Increasing helmet use rates among students to protect them from traffic crash fatalities and injuries. Building capacity among teachers, parents, and government authorities by equipping them with knowledge and skills about proper helmet use and safe road behaviors. Raising public awareness about child helmet use and general road safety. Helmets for Kids targets primary school students, parents, teachers, school administrators, local traffic police, and other government representatives with traffic safety related authorities. While children are the prime beneficiaries of the project, and schools are primary project sites, the involvement of families and communities in the project activities ensures that the practice of using helmets is reinforced in homes and communities. Effective media mobilization and partnerships with the government has added a valuable dimension in reaching out to an audience outside the project scope and supporting enforcement efforts. In 2021, the initiative reached a total of 13,137 direct beneficiaries, including: 7,375 students; 451 teachers; and 5,311 parents.