June 2018
Community stakeholder workshop organized to discuss road safety
AIP Foundation organized a community stakeholder workshop on 28 June to introduce Slow Zones, Safe Zones to the public. More than 48 attendees were present, including representatives from GRSP, various Ministries, municipal and provincial government departments, members of the media, community leaders, school administrators, and parents across the project schools. The workshop provided an overview of Slow Zones, Safe Zones, presented baseline findings as an opportunity to provide attendees with a better understanding of their local road safety conditions, and discussed the proposed school modification plans.
October 2019
Pilot implementation of new speed limit zone around schools through Circular 31/2019
Before October 15, 2019, Vietnam operated under a fixed speed limit. Circular 31/2019 officially took effect in Vietnam on October 15, 2019, requiring that the “installation of speed signs must be based on the actual situation of the road sections and routes on traffic infrastructure, on the flow, types of vehicles and the time of day.” This meant that speed signs should be based on the actual situation of that road and in doing so, local government agencies are now able to designate reduced speed for their schools during peak hours. As a lead organization, AIP Foundation regularly engaged its key government partners – including the National and Local government partners with formal and informal meetings throughout the project implementation. These meetings informed stakeholders of the project’s progress while promoting increased commitment and support through their participation and contributions. As a result, the Directorate of Roads issued the Official Letter 3684/TCDBVN-ATGT allowing Gia Lai Traffic Safety Committee to pilot new speed limit for school zone on On June 11, 2019. The successful piloting new speed limit in school zones made an important contribution to this tremendous milestone.
November 2019
E-traffic safety curriculum developed
One component of the program was the development of a primary level Traffic Safety E-curriculum to improve students’ conceptual knowledge of traffic safety and their behavior in traffic safety tasks. With development completed in 2019, the E-curriculum gives a modern learning method, uses advanced technology, and provides a safe school environment to help primary students improve their knowledge and awareness and primarily practice road safety skills. It considers the variety of commuting in Vietnam with 7 main transportation modes included, from cycling to boat travel, as well as knowledge and skills including the road to school, road traffic signs, road crash consequences, and avoiding road crashes. Provided through an online platform, it can be taught in class by teachers but also accessed by every child from home to learn independently how to behave autonomously on the road. The course features interactive videos, games, and activities designed to teach students life-saving skills related to safer road behaviors.
June 2020
Phase 1 closure ceremony held
A closing ceremony was organized on 27 June 2020 to share the program’s first phase results. AIP Foundation shared noteworthy speed reduction results from the two-year pilot program. Slow Zones, Safe Zones constructed tailored, comprehensive school zone safety modifications including speed bumps, road markings, speed reduction signs, and sidewalks, in response to dangers on Pleiku City roads. At target schools, traffic volume was extremely high. Before our intervention, some vehicles were driving as fast as 70-80 km/h, well over the international recommended speed for school zones, which is 30 km/h. The safety modifications were validated by scientific assessments like the Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) App, which determined that both pilot schools successfully increased their safety rating to 5 stars (highest safety rating). Speed reduction results were comparably significant, with maximum speed at both target schools reduced by as much as 18-21 km/h. Among self-reported student road crashes, the rate of crashes near target schools decreased from 34.1% to 30.4%. At the end of the event, AIP Foundation and the Gia Lai Traffic Safety Committee successfully signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the program’s second phase, and leaders expressed their support and commitment for the continued partnership.
August 2020
Legal notice passed to reduce speed around zones in Pleiku City
On 12 August 2020, the Gia Lai People’s Committee passed an official legal Decision, No.1656/UBND-NC, to reduce speed in school zones to 30-40km/h in Pleiku City. The Decision also instructed the Pleiku People’s Committee to allocate funds for road modifications in school zones in Pleiku City. This Decision will help reduce road injuries and fatalities amongst children in school zones and other vulnerable road users at greater scale.
June 2021
Appraisal Committee formed
An Appraisal Committee was established by MOET in June 2021 to review and provide technical inputs for the E-curriculum for a national adoption process. .
April 2022
Ministry of Education and Training approves use of e-curriculum nationally
Bringing mobility equity to all students in Vietnam, on April 6, 2022, the Ministry of Education and Training signed Decision No 946 /QD-BGDĐT to approve its use as an official school material for integrated teaching and activities on traffic safety education. This is the first nationwide-applied Traffic Safety E-curriculum for primary students in Vietnam
May 2022
School Zone definition approved
The Pleiku People’s Committee approved the first School Zone Definition by May 16, 2022, through the legal document 1566/UBND-QLDT. This School Zone Definition will apply to new and existing schools undergoing modifications in the city, providing better protection for students commuting to and from school.
May 2022
Closing workshop held for stakeholders to celebrate milestones of the project
The closing workshop was organized on May 17, 2022. Representatives from GRSP, AIP Foundation, the National Traffic Safety Committee, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Transport, the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee, the Gia Lai Provincial Traffic Safety Committee, and relevant partners attended the workshop to celebrate the milestones of the Slow Zones, Safe Zones program as below: • Assessment of Star Rating for School (SR4S) results, with all 25 surveyed schools were upgraded to three stars and above. 21 schools out of 25 schools were upgraded to five stars – the highest possible ranking regarding safety with SR4S. • Approval of the School Zone Definition by the Pleiku People’s Committee on May 16 through the legal document 1566/UBND-QLDT. • The first nationwide-applied traffic safety E-curriculum for primary students in Vietnam was approved by The Ministry of Education with Decision No 946 /QD-BGDĐT. • Signing of the extension of the next phase of the program to continue championing #StreetsForLife in Pleiku.
November 2022
Post-learning survey conducted to gather student’s awareness from E-curriculum
The E-curriculum was tested with students from geographically diverse regions, including the cities of Pleiku (Central Highland), Thai Nguyen (North), and My Tho (South) with 1,485 students. The post-learning survey results showed that students achieving good knowledge of traffic safety increased at all grade levels at the intervention schools, with scores improving by 46% at the lowest and 67% at the highest.
