Thailand - May 29, 2016

AIP Foundation, in collaboration with The UPS Foundation and Save the Children and with support from Vespiario Thailand Ltd., the Tesco Lotus and BIG Trees Project, and the Bangkok Bicycle Campaign, held an event, “A helmet for life”, to raise awareness of The 7% Project, which aims to address the consistently low rates of helmet use among children. The event also introduced the policy goal of making motorcycle helmets a necessary part of official school uniforms.

The occasion marked a time to highlight successes of The 7% Project while urging the community to support the goal of improved safety on Thailand’s roads with the help of influential figures from the country’s art, entertainment, and internet spheres. Among these successes was an increase in helmet use by nearly 20% among pilot schools in the past year.

Mr. Supat Champathong, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, attended the event and was quoted as saying “Each year, countless children die in road crashes, but the number and severity of accidents could be greatly reduced through increased helmet use. The Ministry of Education supports AIP Foundation’s campaign and will take The 7% project’s materials as templates for improving both the teaching and learning standards for road safety in Thailand.”