Spirits were spotted in the streets of Phnom Penh today. Stopping traffic and speaking road safety messages, they were visiting not to scare, but to protect the public. Victims of road crash head injuries, the spirits were reminding drivers to protect their lives by ensuring they and their passengers always wear helmets.

These friendly spirits not only visit riders on the street, but on TVs across Cambodia. The “visit” was part of the launch of a new campaign supporting the dissemination and implementation of the new Road Traffic Law. The campaign incorporates media-, street-, and community-based approaches to improve helmet safety in Cambodia. In the TV commercial, spirits tell a motorcyclist to put a helmet on his wife and son. The message of the commercial is “Protect your passengers’ lives. Make sure they wear helmets.”

The campaign is part of AIP Foundation’s “Head Safe. Helmet On.” project supported by USAID-Development Innovation Ventures and others and will contribute to the goal of increasing passenger helmet use rates to 80% in target communes by 2016. Over 120 participants attended today’s launch in Phnom Penh where government officials from National level, Phnom Penh, Kandal, and Kampong Speu Provinces watched the first airing of the campaign’s TV commercial before taking to the streets to watch the spirits speak to un-helmeted riders. The spirits then distributed helmet vouchers to motorcycle passengers.

Read the press release here.

Watch the TV Commercial here.

View photos from the launch here.