Vietnam saw some 13,000 road fatalities in 2002, representing around 37 deaths per day – a rate that’s eight times higher than in the UK.
Given this alarming figure, it’s perhaps surprising that there’s such strong resistance to the wearing of crash helmets in Vietnam. Unfortunately they are often seen as too hot and heavy in tropical countries, with young people especially unwilling to wear them. Expense is also an issue.
The Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIPF) estimates that, with 12 million motorbikes on the road in Vietnam, if the whole riding population had worn helmets, no fewer that 4,500 lives would have been saved in 2002 alone. Children often ride along with parents, and they are especially vulnerable without proper head protection.
How to persuade people to take the basic safety precaution of wearing a helmet? BP is providing leadership with its Helmets for Kids Campaign. In conjunction with the AIPF, BP has helped establish a plant in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, which produces high-quality helmets specially designed for use in tropical conditions. Profits from the sale of helmets to adult riders helps fund free helmets for children. To date, over 100,000 children have received complimentary helmets. The AIPF estimates that these donations have already saved around 50 children from death or serious head injury.
BP continues to be at the centre of efforts to increase levels of road safety in Vietnam. As well as Helmets for Kids, we are also working closely with the Vietnamese government and community-based NGOs to raise awareness of road safety issues within society in general.