HCM CITY — More than 1,100 children on May 18 attended the “Children Have Fun With Road Safety” festival at Tân Phú Trung Primary School in HCM City’s Củ Chi District.

The festival encourages quality helmet use among students and their parents.

This is the fifth year that Helmets for Families, supported by the global healthcare company Abbott and in partnership with the National Traffic Safety Committee, the Ministry of Education and Training and local traffic authorities, has been implemented.

As part of the Helmets for Families programme, the festival included road safety games, performances and helmet-wearing demonstrations to reinforce previous road safety interventions by AIP Foundation at project schools.

A doctor from Chợ Rẫy Hospital spoke to students about the importance of wearing quality helmets.

This year’s Helmets for Families programme aims to engage school staff, parents, and students on a deeper level by collaborating with health professionals to carry key road safety messages based on their experiences working with road crash victims, according to a press release from the programme.

Six billboards were posted around focus areas, and more than 15,000 handheld fans were distributed to parents from six target primary schools and accident victims and their families at Củ Chi and Hóc Môn district hospitals and Chợ Rẫy Hospital.

Beyond working with health professionals in hospitals, Helmets for Families has donated nearly 4,000 helmets to students this school year.

At least 876 parents and students have participated in helmet exchanges, trading their substandard helmets for high-quality, certified ones at subsidised costs.

“Children play a crucial role in promoting road safety awareness among their peers and family members,” said Mirjam Sidik, CEO of AIP Foundation.

“Creative activities like the festival help encourage children to view road safety as a fun challenge, not just a chore.” — VNS