Protec
Owned by AIP Foundation, Protec is a non-profit helmet
manufacturer. Its mission is to produce high quality, yet affordable
helmets that address the needs of Vietnamese and other South Asian
consumers.Common complaints
among the Vietnamese towards the full-faced helmets on the market is
that they are too hot and heavy. As a result, these helmets are rarely
worn because the heat, as well as the limited viewing capacity makes
them unfeasible. Protec, and other south-Asian helmet producers, have
begun selling a tropical helmet.
Similar in structure to bike helmets
in the west, tropical helmets are lightweight, have multiple air
vents, and do not cover the ears or side of the face. In Vietnam, this
is extremely important. City roads in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City are
saturated and a motorcyclist will often be surrounded by three or four
other motorists, all of whom would be hidden if the driver was wearing
a full-faced helmet. |
|
Protec was established, not only to provide quality safety
equipment, but also to enable Asia Injury to be self-sustaining. Protec
profits are directed back to Asia Injury to fund further traffic safety
programs.
Helmets for Kids
Helmets for Kids was officially launched on November 19, 2000 in Ho Chi
Minh City by former US President Bill Clinton along with founding sponsors
APL and BP.
Bill Clinton at the inaugural Helmet for Kids Event in 2000. The
program is designed to not only distribute safety helmets, but also to
expose children to the importance of traffic safety at an early age.
Through donations to children, helmet use within the whole country slowly
increased.
Education on helmet safety began
through the distribution of brightly-colored booklets about road safety to
schoolchildren and accompany manuals to their teachers. AIPF also manage
to create public safety advertisements, which ran in several Vietnamese
newspapers. By the end of 2007, over 300,000 helmets were distributed in
South Asia.
Even though the majority of helmets go to
Vietnamese children, HFK ceremonies have also been held in, Thailand,
Cambodia, and Laos. By September 15, 2007, the government made
helmet-wearing mandatory on all provincial roads. On December 15, 2007,
the compulsory helmet law will go national and will take effect in Hanoi
and Ho Chi Minh City. Helmet laws are still being worked on in Thailand,
Cambodia, and Laos.
On November 6th, 2007, to show international support and recognition of
the Vietnamese road safety crisis an HFK event was attended by US
Secretary of Commerce, Carlos Gutierrez, and his delegation of 23 leading
American companies.
|