Cambodia - Thailand - Vietnam - May 23, 2021

From 17th May to 23rd May, countries around the world joined forces to pledge their support for the 6th Annual Global Road Safety Week (UNGRSW). The sad truth that still exists is that every 24 seconds another person is killed in a road traffic crash, but these crashes are preventable. UNGRSW is an opportunity for the world to call on policymakers at local and national levels around the globe to act for low-speed streets to enhance road safety and save lives.

The #Love30 campaign has been at the heart of this UN Global Road Safety Week. It advocates for streets for life where people live, work, and play by making 30 km/h (20mph) speed limits the norm for cities worldwide. Not only does a speed limit in urban areas prioritize the well-being of children and youth, but it also creates safe, healthy, green, and liveable cities.

This year, AIP Foundation participated and led several events to support and advocate for #StreetsForLife as part of UNGRSW. At the global launch, Mrs. Mirjam Sidik, CEO of AIP Foundation, discussed how 30 km/h speed limits worldwide will bring us closer to our vision of a world where all neighborhood streets are safe, with specific, proven examples in the Foundation’s program countries.

You can watch the full UNGRSW launchhere:

Celebrating safe streets for life with our regional network in Thailand

AIP Foundation joined Chevron, Songkhla Heritage Trust, Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya, Songkhla Regional Observatory for the Public, Songkhla Public Health Office, and Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Regional Center 12 Songkhla to sign the open letter and participate in the UNGRSW photo campaign. The activities took place in the very special center of Songkhla Old Town of Muang. This center of the old town is a historical jewel where people and traffic mix. To keep the local community, tourists, and children safe, all organizations present advocated for #Love30 on the street.

Not only were representatives from the private sector proactive, 12 headteachers and school administrators from the Chevron Street Wise program in Songkhla and Nakhon Si Thammarat provinces joined the call to action demanding a 30 km/h safe school zone for their students.

Engaging local community through art in Vietnam

Under the Slow Zones, Safe Zones Program in Pleiku City, Vietnam, 31 program schools installed billboards in front of the school gates, calling on local community members to get involved and campaign for reduced speed when passing school zones.

Students and teachers at Vo Thi Sau primary school were immersed in a drawing contest to illustrate “my safe road to school.” Creativity flourished at the school as students painted their streets for life. This was an exciting opportunity for the students to raise their voices and call to action for 30 km/h school zones.

Read more about this eventhere.

Schools and factories in Cambodia pledge their support for low-speed streets

In Bantheay Meanchey Province, AIP Foundation imparted road user skills to primary school students, where they learned how using their helmets correctly can make a life-saving difference. Students also drew pictures expressing their demands for safer streets by reducing speed limits to 30km/h in their school zone. Teachers further trained students online on the importance of speed reduction and road safety.

In Cambodia, in factories where AIP Foundation implements the Prevention & Participation Program, workers united to sign the open letter demanding 30km/h safe zones. The factory workers also gained further awareness on the importance of speed reduction through training.

Engaging our youth as part of a global solution

Ms. Minh Vo, Jr. M&E Coordinator at AIP Foundation, presented at the Young Female Leadership on Sustainable Mobility – Saving lives through local and global action panel hosted by iRAP and YOURS during The International Exhibition for Sustainable Mobility Solutions (Autonomy Digital 2.0). Ms. Vo shared her knowledge and experience using the advanced tool – Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) to assess school infrastructure and engage children and youths in the process of improving school zone safety.

Although UN Global Road Safety Week has officially come to an end, we continue to look forward and advocate #StreetsForLife around the world.

A message from the United Nations:

If you demand streets for life and #Love30 like we do, join the campaign to call for 30 km/h (20 mph) speed limits worldwide, on streets where people walk, live and play.

In 2022, world leaders will meet at the high-level meeting on road safety. Together we will bring a united message to demand streets for life.