GIA LAI, Vietnam – September 10, 2024

In Vietnam, over 17 million children commute between home and school 2-4 times daily. Many children share the road with speeding trucks, with no sidewalks to walk on going to school or proper infrastructure for safe cycling. Across the country, many young cyclists lack the knowledge and practical experience to navigate these busy roads safely on their school journeys. These issues create many risks for young cyclists and highlight the urgent need for improved safety measures and community support for safer cycling routes.

In an effort to continue safeguarding students’ safer journeys to school and promote greener mobility, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and FIA Foundation have joined forces to launch the Ride Safe – Bike Safety program in Gia Lai province Vietnam. The program is made possible through funding from the Safe and Sustainable Mobility Grants programme by the FIA and supported by the FIA Foundation.

A workshop was hosted to launch the program welcoming approximately 100 delegates from government departments and staff from secondary schools. This innovative program aims to utilize youth-driven technology to improve road infrastructure and promote greener and more active transport across the province. This aligns with Vietnam’s current 2030 Road Safety Strategy and 2050 Net Zero commitments with emphasis on safe and sustainable mobility.

The Ride Safe – Bike Safety program builds on this momentum. Presently, nearly two-thirds of Vietnam’s population uses gas-emitting motorcycles daily. A lack of safe bicycling infrastructure and public transportation options are major factors contributing to this. To tackle this, the data collected through the program will identify high-risk zones for provincial governments to prioritize investments in bicycling infrastructure.

The key project activities include the development of a Bike Safely GPS tracker app, conducting surveys at 11 project schools as well as organizing educational training on safe cycling skills at 12 schools in Phu Thien district. In this district, more than 60% of students ride their bicycles to school.

In addition, the program aims to encourage local authorities to use the collected data to plan improvements to cycling infrastructure to further encourage greener and more active modes of transportation. During implementation, the program aims to directly reach more than 5,200 students, teachers, parents, and government officials.