Australia - September 27, 2019

AIP Foundation traveled to Adelaide, Australia, to join leaders at the Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC), which brought together hundreds of delegates, including researchers, enforcement agencies, policymakers, educators, and students, for a comprehensive 3-day scientific program showcasing the latest advancements across the road safety sector.

Under the theme of “Leading the Way – Towards Zero”, ARSC’s objective was to showcase the work of outstanding practitioners and policymakers from the Southern Hemisphere who are dedicated to tackling road safety issues identified in the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. These issues include: road safety management, infrastructure, safer vehicles, user behavior, and post-crash care. Advancements in research, enforcement programs, technological developments, and policies were discussed.

Participants brought their knowledge of behavioral science, education and training, emergency services, engineering, technology, law enforcement, local and federal government, and traffic management and vehicle safety, to contribute to exciting workshops and conversations.

AIP Foundation Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, Le Nguyen, was invited to present at the conference’s Community Advocacy Symposium, as a scholarship winner for delegates from low- and middle-income countries. Le presented on distracted driving behavior reduction intervention results fromSafety Delivered,an empowerment-based program in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar thataims to reduce road crash injuries and fatalities by working with young, inexperienced motorcycle drivers.

Distracted driving remains a key risk factor for injury and drivers using a mobile phone while driving are four times more likely to be involved in a crash than those who are not.

Safety Delivered utilizes a combination of student engagement and education, mass education, and awareness raising through targeted messaging and delivery of safe driving skills, in order to contribute to knowledge, attitude, and behavior change among students.