HANOI, Vietnam – April 26, 2022

Across the country, road traffic crashes are the second leading cause of death among children under 15 years old in Vietnam. Legal regulation on children’s safety in cars is partial. As of now, small children can even sit in the front seat; parents rarely use a child restraint system (CRS) when traveling with small children.

In an effort to ensure long-term and sustainable change safeguarding our youngest generation, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Hanoi University of Public Health, the National Traffic Safety Committee, and the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) hosted an inaugural CRS workshop. Thuy Anh Hoang, AIP Foundation Program Coordinator participated at the workshop.

The objectives of the workshop were to disseminate key findings from the baseline report on CRS in Vietnam and to present international recommendations related to CRS and CRS policy development. This was the first international workshop providing technical information to government agencies on Child Restraint Systems.

Scientific evidence on the importance of CRS, market information, and parents’ perception of CRS was presented by high-level guests. The WHO presented the CRS legal definition and the best practices around the world. The Ministry of Transport from the Philippines presented its experience in adopting a comprehensive CRS law in the country. The National Traffic Safety Committee led the discussion on recommendations for Vietnam and how these best practices can be implemented here.

The key takeaways of the workshop were the WHO recommendations. These include that Vietnam should apply ‘best practices’ for CRS, NGOs, and agencies should unite to send one unique message that the law should ensure that children use a child seat at least until 12 years of age / 150 cm, that the law refers to a standard for child restraints and finally that the law restricts children under a certain age or height from sitting in the front seat.

These are inherently aligned with the key recommendations regarding the top 5 behavioral risk factors outlined in the technical report by AIP Foundation as part of the nationwide campaign amending road laws in Vietnam, supported by the Global Road Safety Partnership and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI).

Key delegates and representatives included:

– The national focal point for injury prevention and road safety from the National Traffic Safety Committee\n– Traffic safety law development units: MOPS, MOT, DOL-MOH\n– Journalists from safety journals, health journals, and reporters from national TV channels\n– Independent experts working on road safety\n– Technical officers from NGOs who are working on road safety: Vital Strategies, GHAI