VietNamNet Bridge – The Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, on March 25, donated 1,650 helmets to students at Tran Hung Dao Primary School in HCM City’s District 1.

At the presentation ceremony, the AIP Foundation also introduced the “Tiny Police Chief” – a popular picture book character among children – as goodwill ambassador of this year’s Child Helmet Public Awareness Campaign.

Jointly launched by the AIP Foundation and the National Traffic Safety Committee, the campaign aims to help primary students understand the importance of wearing helmets, and hopefully thus reducing the number of casualties due to traffic accidents.

Up to 10,000 helmets with the image of the “Tiny Police Chief” will be donated to primary students in nine provinces and cities along National Highway 1A in March and April.

With help from the Ministry of Education and Training, the campaign will also present more than 150,000 picture books, posters, and leaflets featuring the “Tiny Police Chief” to the selected students and others.

Graeme Swiff, Consul General of Australia in HCM City, which is sponsoring the campaign, said two-thirds of child deaths in traffic accidents are in Southeast Asia, and therefore the launch of the child helmet public awareness campaign is considered a comprehensive measure towards helping alleviate this problem.

Associate Professor Truong Van Viet, former director of the HCM City-based Cho Ray Hospital, suggested that all children over the age of six-months should wear helmets while riding motorbikes. This is an international practice, and should also apply in Vietnam, he said.

For the occasion, the foundation has set up a hotline (08.62991409) to answer all questions raised by students and their parents regarding motorbike safety and helmets.

VietNamNet/VNA