Pagna Kim, AIP Foundation’s Cambodia Country Director, presented on helmet use in his country at the 2016 Australasian Road Safety Conference in Canberra, Australia. The annual event brought together more than 600 representatives from international governments and organizations, as well as researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and industry leaders.

Kim’s presentation, “Motorcycle passenger helmet use in Cambodia – a turning point?” focused on the recent AIP Foundation project Head Safe. Helmet On. In January 2016, enforcement began of a national law mandating for the first time that motorcycle passengers, in addition to drivers, wear helmets. Head Safe. Helmet On. aimed to increase awareness of the legislation and promote helmet use in Cambodia. Recent data shows that helmet use rates among adult passengers increased from 11% in November 2015 to 36% in May 2016.

Head Safe. Helmet On. launched in 2014 and is a partnership among AIP Foundation, U.S. Agency for International Development – Development Innovation Ventures (USAID-DIV), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, FIA Foundation, The UPS Foundation, and the Cambodian government.