KAMPOT Province, Cambodia – 27 September 2022

Prudential Cambodia and Prudence Foundation hosted a SAFE STEPS Kids Road Safety Day to help improve and raise awareness on road safety for Cambodian students. As part of the SAFE STEPS – Road Safety programme, the event took place on 22 September 2022 at Hun Sen Trosek Koang high school, Kampot province, with about 1,000 students attending.

The Road Safety Day was co-organised with AIP Foundation, and in collaboration with the National Road Safety Committee, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, and local programme partners to help students mitigate risks on the road, provide them with safety equipment and road traffic education.

Road safety is a fundamental right for everyone, especially for children and students commuting to and from their schools. In Cambodia, students account for 12 per cent of all road fatalities in 2019 (RCVIS Annual Report 2019). Among them, nearly one-half of road fatalities affect secondary and high-school students. Youth suffer the most from road injuries and fatalities across the country.

A fun-filled Road Safety Day for learning

Through interactive games and fun activities, students reinforced their road safety skills and knowledge which focused on motorcycle driving and helmet use for eligible students aged 15 or above, understanding speed limits, avoiding distractions, and the importance of pedestrian safety. Students also participated in a road safety quiz to test their understanding and received motorcycle driver training through practical demonstrations.

The success of Road Safety Day underscores the importance of offering interactive events to young children and students. The collaboration with community and governmental partners raise higher awareness among parents, policymakers, and local residents to establish safe school environments and instill quality road safety education in school curricula. Safe school zones are integral in ensuring that students are able to access their education safely.

During the Road Safety Day, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) distributed 30 ECE-22 helmets to students who were the winners of contests for Road Safety Essay writing and drawing. Helmets were also given to students who performed during the event as well as prizes for quizzes.

AIP Foundation was delighted to welcome the participation and attendance of representatives from the National Road Safety Committee, provincial Deputy Governor together with senior representation from provincial departments and the private sector.

“This road safety day symbolises much more than simply being safe on the street. Today is a monumental day of change as students and youth raise their voices for a safe and accessible commute to and from school. No child in Cambodia should be put at senseless risk to learn new things at school,” shared H.E Min Meanvy, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and Secretary General of the National Road Safety Committee.

“It is core to our corporate responsibility to make road safety knowledge more accessible to more Cambodians. Earlier this year, we entered the partnership with AIP Foundation, a continuous commitment toward eliminating traffic accident in the country. This partnership also indicates our protection of Cambodia’s future generations as youths and children travel to schools every day,” said Chee Weng Yip, Chief Distribution Officer, Prudential Cambodia.

“We see it as our responsibility to help society make roads safer, especially for young adults. Therefore, we launched the SAFE STEPS programme, a pan-Asian initiative to reduce road accidents among youth. We have run awareness programme, supported national road safety committee on formulating decade of action plan, and provided helmet and other protecting infrastructure. We aim to ease parents’ concern by minimising loss of life among students who commute to school every day,” added Yip.

More about theSafe Steps Kidsprogram

The Road Safety programme is part of theSAFE STEPS KIDSprogramme, developed by the Prudence Foundation, in partnership with Cartoon Network and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC). The programme aims to equip millions of children across Asia and Africa with actionable information designed to save lives, and create a future generation that is well-prepared and resilient to life-threatening situations. To date, the programme has been deployed in Asia, in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. This is the first year that theSAFE STEPS Kids – Road Safetyprogramme has been implemented in Cambodia.