Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are at epidemic levels worldwide. Approximately 1.3 million people are killed on the world’s roads every year and over 90 percent of these fatalities occur in the world’s poorest countries – the majority in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The mobility brought by motorbikes in the developing world puts generations of riders at considerable risk, especially considering that helmet access and helmet wearing legislation are often low priorities for developing country governments.
Under GHVI, successful models for helmet distribution, curriculum development, legislative action and public awareness education already piloted in Vietnam will be rapidly replicated and shared with other developing countries worldwide. Under the motto, "a helmet on every head in the Decade of Action for Road Safety", GHVI will bring helmets – the known 'vaccine' against potentially fatal head trauma caused by road crashes – to the countries, and people in need.
GHVI will use a multi-faceted approach to improve the road safety situations of each target country, following the same five pillar approach:
- Helmet Provision - construction of national helmet assembly plants or importation of high-quality, affordable helmets
- Targeted Programs - curriculum development, education programs for children and other at-risk groups
- Public Awareness Education - national campaigns targeting at-risk road users
- Technical Assistance - legislative advocacy, capacity building, law enforcement training, implementation of helmet standards and testing labs
- Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation - baseline data collection, ongoing reporting and program evaluation
The provision of helmets – whether through the construction of helmet assembly plants or through the import of suitable headgear – will elevate national levels of helmet accessibility. In countries where helmets are readily available, the influx of new helmets will add diversity and competition to the marketplace. In Vietnam, Protec brand helmets revolutionized the helmet industry by creating the first lightweight, ventilated "tropical" helmet – a design which has since been replicated by numerous manufacturers. The Protec factory has also been successful in retaining a workforce with 30% disabled assembly line employees, a business decision that has also been a tremendous social contribution. Similar assembly plants may be suitable for other GHVI countries.
Through the targeted programs' curriculum development, helmet donations and educational components, GHVI will use a grassroots approach to impact the lives of each nation's youth. The programs currently being implemented are aimed at teaching children safe behaviors, helping teachers improve their teaching methods, altering the environments around schools to ensure safe commutes, and altering the attitudes of parents regarding responsible transportation means.
The public awareness education (PAE) activities will be nationwide advocacy campaigns focused on changing the public perception of road safety, informing the public about news legislations or denying widespread myths, and modifying the behaviors of unsafe road users.
The scope of legislative advocacy and capacity building under GHVI will be nationwide, urging government officials, private enterprises and non-governmental institutions to work together in country-level Helmet Vaccine Initiatives, country-level partnerships of road safety stakeholders that will comprise a distinct legal entity.
GVHI conducts research with the help of specialized in-country partners on the road traffic situation prior to implementing any projects. The programs are then developed in a data-driven manner, and carefully monitored during and after implementation. This continuous process allows GHVI to participate in increasing the amount and quality of data available for road traffic environments in countries where it is often sparse, and to measure its own successes and limits, allowing for detailed reporting and determining needed improvements.
In line with the Moscow Declaration from the First UN Ministerial Meeting on Road Safety in Moscow in November 2009, GHVI recognizes "that road safety is a 'cross cutting' issue which can contribute significantly to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals". By adapting existing road safety programs for low and middle income countries around the world, GHVI seeks to integrate transportation safety into national development strategies and solidify public-private partnerships to create a harmonized, multilateral aid unit.
