Contacts: Buaboun Pinjaroenpun GRSP Coordinator for ASEAN Region Tel. +66 (0) 2661-8201 Buaboun.pinjaroenpun@ifrc.org Chanin Manopiniwes World Bank Infrastructure Analyst Tel. +66 (0) 2686-8377 cmanopiniwes@worldbank.org Bangkok, November 20, 2007 – An innovative campaign to reduce traffic fatalities among young Thais received significant support from the Japanese Government through a US$859,200 grant signed in Bangkok today. This grant will enable the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), host of the Global Road Safety Partnership, to implement its Youth Helmet Use Program in 120 communities in the Northeast, Thailand’s poorest and least developed region. In recent years, road accidents have become a leading cause of death in Thailand, causing about 1,000 fatalities a month, said Robert Klein, the Regional Program Director of the GRSP. “A lot of these deaths happened in rural areas and involved young people on motorcycles. This could be prevented if young people understood the importance of helmets and could afford one,” Mr. Klein added. “Our program is designed to do exactly that, and we’re thankful for the Japanese Government for their support.” The grant is provided by the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF). Established in 2002, the JSDF is a joint Japan-World Bank mechanism providing direct support to the poorest and most vulnerable groups in eligible member countries of the World Bank Group. Under the JSDF, Japan had provided 249 grants totaling $276 million, including the $5 million grant to help tsunami victims in southern Thailand. The grant will support an awareness-raising campaign, helmet subsidies, and enforcement of helmet use in poor communities near national highways. Under the agreement, the selected communities will identify their own priorities for road safety, and then develop and implement their own education and enforcement campaigns using funds provided through the grant. A portion of the grant will also support training programs to enable community members to provide first aid to accident victims. “This is an innovative approach that we think will be sustainable in the long run,” said Ian Porter, Country Director of the World Bank. “Preventive programs that work well tend to be those that let the people take the lead or ownership. Under this program, the community will decide together what their needs are and come up with their own ideas on how to address those needs. The JSDF grant just gives them the financial support to meet those needs.” Excessive speed and driving under the influence of alcohol are the primary causes of road accidents in Thailand, which kill more than 10,000 people every year. In 2006, for example, 434 deaths and 4,772 injuries caused by road accidents were reported during the New Year’s holiday alone. Of the 300,000 people involved in road accidents in 2006, more than a third were using motorcycles. However, less than 15 percent of the motorcyclists involved in these accidents were using helmet, despite the law requiring them to. Given that half of the people who use motorcycles are under 25, an awareness-raising program targeting young people should be an effective measure to reduce deaths and serious injuries. As host of the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), the IFRC is well-suited to implement this innovative program. GRSP is an international program bringing governments, the private sectors, and civil society organizations together to address road safety issues in middle- and low-income countries. In Thailand, GSRP works with a large number of Thai Government agencies, including the Ministries of Transport, Public Health, and Education, among many others. “The JSDF Youth Helmet Use Program is another good initiative that we all should strongly support,” said Pongpanu Svetarundra, Director-General of the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO), Ministry of Finance, who presided over the signing ceremony. “I’d like to encourage the IFRC and the World Bank to continue working together to keep Thai children safe on the road.” # # # # # |
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