HANOI, Vietnam — December 15, 2020

Vietnam’s National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) and the Student Affairs Department of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) received the prestigious 2020 Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in recognition of their efforts to protect children through safer school zones through their support for the pilot Slow Zones, Safe Zones program, implemented by AIP Foundation.

From 2018 to 2020, the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) and Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) of Vietnam played a critical role in supporting a pilot program focused on reducing speeds in school zones in Pleiku City, Gia Lai Province, Vietnam. The program, implemented in partnership with AIP Foundation and Gia Lai local governments, managed by the Global Road Safety Partnership and funded by Fondation Botnar, has delivered comprehensive safety interventions and secured a legislative decision that reduces school zone speed limits to 30 km/h in Pleiku City.

To ensure safer roads in school zones, the Slow Zones, Safe Zones program uses a multi-pronged approach with several objectives. These included the construction of tailored school-zone modifications, public awareness campaigns, law enforcement initiatives, the development and testing of a nationally-applicable road safety e-curriculum, and legislative advocacy.

As a result of these targeted efforts, it was found that while some vehicles had driven as fast as 80 km/h at target schools prior to the pilot—significantly exceeding the internationally recommended speed of 30 km/h in school zones—maximum speeds at both target schools were reduced by as much as 21 km/h.

In recognition of the life-saving impact of investing in school zone safety, on August 12, 2020, the Gia Lai provincial government passed Decision No. 1656/UBND-NCDC, which calls for Pleiku City authorities to allocate funding for school zone road modifications and further reduce speeds.

Another component of the Slow Zones, Safe Zones program features an app-compatible traffic safety e-curriculum, with key inputs from the NTSC and MOET. The 10-module online learning platform focuses on life-saving lessons across a diversity of transport modes including walking, bicycles, cars, buses, trains, and boats, which demonstrate strong potential for national application. The Student Affairs Department of the MOET has expressed their interest in seeking approval to implement the e-curriculum nationwide following positive assessment results revealing its significant efficacy and impact.

The two-year Slow Zones, Safe Zones speed reduction program is supported by Fondation Botnar, the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), Nissan Motor Corporation, Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), and Kova Paint Company.