SIEM REAP, Cambodia - March 10, 2017

AIP Foundation launched a Young Ambassadors for Road Safety (YARS) network that will empower university students to design and implement sustainable road safety awareness activities for more than 3,000 of their peers. During the program’s kick-off ceremony, a helmet design competition was also announced. The capacity building program will work with three universities located in high-risk traffic areas with the aim of increasing awareness of safe driving behaviors and the recent law mandating passenger helmet use. YARS is a partnership with the Australian Direct Aid Program, an office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

AIP Foundation selected the participating universities using a set of guidelines such as the campus’s proximity to a main highway, strong buy-in from university officials, and students’ past involvement in road crashes. The ambassadors will promote safe driving skills within their age group and will also work with primary school students to educate Cambodia’s youngest generation of road users. AIP Foundation will encourage the use of diverse mediums to students as they design their original initiatives. YARS will also work with local traffic police to increase law enforcement and educational activities around the campuses.

AIP Foundation decided to work in Siem Reap Province, a busy tourist hub in the northern region of the country, because the area faces both urban and suburban road issues. Highway 6, one of Cambodia’s major roadways, also passes through the province.