Launching the program of giving helmets to first graders nationwide

Honda Vietnam General Director Koji Sugita said that Honda Vietnam is committed to taking every possible measure to realize Honda's global goal of "zero deaths due to traffic collisions involving Honda motorbikes and automobiles" by 2050 and the Vietnamese Government's goal of "zero deaths due to road traffic accidents" by 2045. Towards these long-term goals, Honda Vietnam decided to coordinate with the National Traffic Safety Committee and the Ministry of Education and Training to donate 2 million qualified helmets to first-graders nationwide in the 2023-2024 school year and organize traffic safety training for parents.

According to Mr. Koji Sugita, wearing a standard helmet is the most practical and effective solution to protect yourself and your family. Even more so, for first graders - an important age for forming awareness, creating a habit for them to always wear a standard helmet when sitting behind a motorbike is extremely important.

More importantly, the key goal that Honda Vietnam is aiming for is to form the habit of wearing helmets among motorbike users in Vietnam. The company will continue to provide traffic safety training for students and parents, and raise awareness of traffic safety through communication activities.

This meaningful and practical activity is a continuation of the program "Giving helmets to first graders" implemented nationwide by the National Traffic Safety Committee, the Ministry of Education and Training, and Honda Vietnam Company from 2018 to 2020. After a hiatus due to COVID-19, in the 2022-2023 school year, Honda Vietnam has restarted the program "Giving helmets to first and second graders and improving traffic safety knowledge for parents and students" in 3 major cities: Hanoi, Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City. Along with the decision to give 2 million helmets to first graders nationwide this year, the total number of helmets donated by Honda Vietnam is up to nearly 8.6 million.

Sharing information that every year in the world, about 1.3 million people die in traffic accidents and this number in Vietnam is 7,000 people, of which, the number of children who die in traffic accidents is from 600 - 700 children, the number of children who are permanently disabled for life is 100 - 150 children/year, Mr. Khuat Viet Hung, Vice Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee said that although traffic accidents in our country have decreased a lot, the number of victims injured and killed in traffic accidents is still very large. The number of students who unfortunately die and are injured in traffic accidents is still high.

Therefore, the Party and the State always identify reducing traffic accidents and eliminating the pain caused by traffic accidents as a very important political task. Stating the Government's goal of "zero deaths due to road traffic accidents" by 2045, Mr. Khuat Viet Hung said that this is a very humane goal. He advised parents to set an example when participating in traffic, absolutely follow traffic safety regulations, do not carry children with alcohol concentration, do not answer the phone while driving. Parents are responsible for buying standard helmets for themselves and wearing standard helmets for their children when participating in traffic by motorbike, scooter, or electric bicycle. Teachers always remind students to wear standard helmets, comply with regulations on traffic order and safety, and students must wear helmets when riding motorbikes, scooters, or electric bicycles.

At the ceremony, the parties agreed and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the following contents: 100% of first graders nationwide will receive Honda Vietnam standard helmets; increase activities to share traffic safety knowledge and skills to predict and avoid risks for students and their parents.

Through the helmet donation events for the 2023-2024 school year, it is estimated that about 2 million students and 200,000 parents will have their knowledge and skills improved to participate in safe traffic.