Over 1.93 million standard helmets will be presented to first grade students in the 2019-2020 academic year as announced at a ceremony held in Hanoi on June 12.

 Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh (third from left)
presents a helmet to a first grader on June 12 

With the theme “Keep full dreams together”, the programme, undertaken by the National Traffic Safety Committee, the Ministry of Education and Training, and Honda Vietnam, looks to raise the ratio of helmet wearing among children to 80 percent by 2020.

In the 2018-2019 school year, Honda Vietnam delivered nearly 2 million standard helmets to first graders nationwide, contributing to increasing helmet wearing among 6-year-old children in Vietnam.

At the ceremony, the three sides signed a deal on coordination in implementing effectively the helmet presenting programme, especially activities to spread traffic safety information to students’ parents.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh hailed the three sides for launching a significant progamme and at the same time asked them to seriously assess the ratio of helmet wearing among children as it is still low.

He said a survey in 10 provinces showed around 60 percent of first grade students wear helmets when they are driven to school while helmets were delivered to all of them by late 2018. He blamed many parents for not wearing helmets for their children when taking them on their bikes.

General Director of Honda Vietnam Keisuke Tsuruzono said his company will continue accompanying the Vietnamese Government in ensuring traffic safety for children and people in general.

In 2018, 1,442 children fell victims to traffic accidents, a drop of 17 percent from 2017.