Vietnam - June 17, 2012

International helmet expert and road safety specialist Dr. Terry Smith visited Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from June 10 to 17 to monitor and advise Vietnamese helmet testing laboratories. Dr. Smith also consulted with the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) on ways and means to eliminate poor quality and fake helmets from the Vietnamese market. In 2000, Dr. Smith and AIP Foundation assisted the government with the development of the new national helmet standard (TVCN 5756).

Dr. Smith is a member of AIP Foundation’s Advisory Board. The nonprofit Protec Tropical Helmet Factory, a project of AIP Foundation, includes one of Vietnam’s four helmet testing laboratories, which allows Protec to test its own helmets as well as those of other manufacturers. The testing ensures that they meet QCVN2:2008/BKHCN and will adequately protect users in the event of a crash.

Dr. Smith conducts annual assessments of Protec’s helmet testing lab equipment to ensure optimal performance and to compare Protec’s helmet testing lab equipment to other international ISO 17025 accredited helmet test laboratories. The three other helmet testing laboratories in Vietnam are government owned, and Dr. Smith also met with these laboratories as part of an Inter-Laboratory Comparison (ILC) program.