On January 10, 2013, AIP Foundation submitted the joint policy recommendation “motorcycle passengers, including children, must wear helmets” to H.E Minister of Public Works and Transport and Chairperson of the National Road Safety Committee.

1. UPDATE OF JOINT POLICY RECOMMENDATION:
“MOTORCYCLE PASSENGERS, INCLUDING CHILDREN, MUST WEAR
HELMETS”
JUNE 21, 2013

2. Situation in Cambodia
1,905 road traffic fatalities
occurred in 2011, twice the figure
from 2005.
69% of motorcycle crash victims
suffered head injuries, and among
them, only 29% wore a helmet as
a driver and only 6% as a
passenger.
Cambodia has the highest rate
(10.0) of road fatalities per
10,000 registered vehicles
comparing to Lao PDR (7.9) and
Vietnam (3.0), in 2011.

3. Government Efforts
 Endorsed “One helmet. One life” campaign in 2010 appealing to
all drivers and passengers to wear helmets every time they ride a
motorcycle
 Joined a global initiative to adopt the UN Resolution for the
Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020)
 National Road Safety Policy and ten-year Action Plan (2011-2020)
 Draft land traffic law (helmets for passengers including
children….)
 Road Safety as a priority in updated NSDP (2009-2013) and in Safe
Village and Commune Policy in 2012

4. Why Joint Policy
Recommendation?
Appropriate helmet use saves lives:
Reduces risk of
severe
head injury
by:
↓ ↓
69% 42%
Reduces risk of
fatality
by:
While drivers are required by law to
wear a helmet, no mandatory
helmet law for PASSENGERS exists.
Over 80 percent of drivers but
fewer than 10 percent of
passengers including children wore
helmets in 2011.
But many Cambodians are
unprotected:

5. Background
On January 10, 2013, AIP Foundation submitted the joint policy
recommendation “motorcycle passengers, including children, must wear
helmets” to H.E Minister of Public Works and Transport and Chairperson of
the National Road Safety Committee.
The Coalition for Road Safety (CRY) and and Handicap International (HI)
agreed to collaborate by jointly issuing the policy recommendation.

6. Objectives
 To appeal to the government and relevant stakeholders to adopt
legislation that will increase safety on the roads in Cambodia and
save lives
 To raise awareness among private sector companies, civil society
organizations, media agencies, and the public about helmet wearing
for drivers and passengers including children.

7. Endorsements
 Over 100 stakeholders from the private sector, civil society, and
international community have endorsed the joint policy recommendation.
 Over 4,000 members of the public have shown their support for the draft
passenger helmet mandate via online networks and petition signatures.
 AIP Foundation, CRY, and HI continue collecting more endorsements among
the private sector, civil society, and international community and the public.

8. Recommendations
1. Executive and Legislative Branches
2. Local authorities
3. Media agencies
4. Civil society organizations and private sector companies
5. Citizens

9. Executive and Legislative
Branches
 Approve the National Road Safety Policy and ten-year Action
Plan, of which a key target is to increase helmets use to 100
percent among all motorcyclists
 Expedite the review and approval process for a new draft traffic
law addressing people’s needs, in which motorcycle
passengers, including children, are mandated to wear helmets
 Widely disseminate and strictly enforce the new traffic law once it
comes into effect

10. Local authorities
Disseminate information about the need to wear a helmet as either
motorcycle passenger or driver whenever referring about the Safe
Village-Commune Policy

11. Media agencies
 Promote road safety and
spread information
about helmet use
through all types of
media, particularly
programs that appeal to
youth
 Air programs and
advertisements that
promote road safety
message, such as
consistent helmet use

12. Civil society and the private
sectors
 Develop and review internal policy to encourage staff and families to
respect traffic laws and to always wear a helmet on a motorcycle
 For those manufacturing or selling motorcycles, consider providing
helmets for free to driver, passengers and at least to one child for
every purchase

13. Citizens
 Continue to remind your family
to respect the traffic law and to
always wear a helmet when
travelling on the road
 Put a helmet on your
passengers, including children, as
a simple act of care

14. Raising Awareness
 Published in leading newspapers:
1. Cambodia Daily News
2. Rasmey Kampuchia
3. Koh Santhepheap
4. Phnom Penh Post
5. Kampuchia Thmey
 Printed as a booklet in English
and Khmer
 Statement was discussed and
shared at the Radio Talk
Show, National Road Safety Week
and other events

15. Case Studies
 Mandatory helmet laws for adult in Vietnam resulted in a 12%
reduction in fatalities and 24% reduction in injuries within one
year of implementation*.
 In Thailand, mandatory helmet legislation in Khon Kaen province
led to a 40% reduction in head injuries among motorcyclists and a
24% drop in motorcyclist deaths within two years**.
 In Cambodia, it is estimated that 348 lives were saved and 1,595
serious injuries were prevented in 2009 after the enactment and
enforcement of its helmet law. This translates into total savings of
over $33 million USD for 2009 (<$12 million USD for fatalities and
<$20 million USD for serious injuries).
*http://www.helmetvaccine.org/target_countries/vietnam.html
** http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2006/pr44/en/

16. Next steps
 Published in leading website
news (Online news)
Joint policy recommendation will
continue to be:
 Discussed via radio talk-
show programs
It will be submitted again to
National Road Safety
Committee, National Police and
other relevant committees or
stakeholders.
Advocacy and lobbying
activities will continue with
efforts focusing on private
sector and government and
legislative bodies commitment.

17. Asia Injury Prevention Foundation
KIM Pagna (Mr.)
#18BEo, St. 348.,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
(855) 23 996 519
pagna.kim@aipf-cambodia.org
Coalition for Road Safety
LIM Sokchea (Ms.)
#36C, St 270,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
(855) 23 555 1583
lim.sokchea@crysafety.org.kh
Handicap International
EAR Chariya (Mr.)
#9AB, Street 446,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
(855) 23 217 298
rs.mgr@hicambodia.org
Thank you!