Improving road safety in Vietnam (Asia Injury Prevention Foundation)

Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP Foundation) combats road traffic accidents (RTAs) specifically caused by motorbikes through an innovative, socially entrepreneurial model. Countries experiencing rapid motorization of two-wheel vehicles incur tremendous costs due to the accompanying increases in injuries and fatalities, of which head trauma is a primary cause. Universal helmet use is acknowledged as the most cost-effective ‘vaccine’ against this new RTA ‘epidemic,’ which currently kills more than 1.2 million and injures up to 50 million people per year – mostly in the developing world. AIP Foundation successfully spearheaded the effort to increase helmet wearing in Vietnam through a combination of legislative reform, public awareness and education, achieving helmet wearing rates in Vietnam of 95% in 2008, up from 3% in 2007. Since the passage of the mandatory helmet law, related fatalities have declined by 12.2% and serious injuries by 24.3%. The model created by AIP Foundation provides an excellent framework that can be replicated in countries facing similar challenges.