Key Recent Milestones:
· Vietnam: Evaluation site visits from Channel Research were conducted January 9 and 10 in Hanoi, and January 11 in Da Nang. For more on Global Actions’ evaluation process, click here.
Global Actions Spotlight: Vietnam Bus Driver Project Launch
Global Actions’ “Prevention and Control of Bus Drivers from Drink Driving at Bus Stations” project has successfully launched in two Vietnam provinces. The launch events, held in December 2011 in Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa provinces, coincide with an important new focus on traffic safety in Vietnam.
On January 3, all 63 Vietnam provinces participated in the launch of Traffic Safety Year 2012. The bus driver project was developed to support the Ministry of Transport’s (MOT) 2012 Traffic Safety Year Action Plan, a plan centered on four key areas of traffic safety: speeding, lane separation, drink driving, and helmets. According to Global Actions Country Manager Lan Huong Nguyen, traffic safety is now receiving more attention from government officials than ever before.
“The bus driver project has attracted considerable interest from Ministry of Transport (MOT) leaders,” said Nguyen. “When we met with the Traffic Safety Department on January 9, they said they would like us to expand the project to more bus stations and provinces in Vietnam.”
Vietnam’s Traffic Safety Department and Directorate for Roads of Vietnam (DRVN) have aided in our commitment to reduce the number of drink driving accidents in Vietnam. “The Ministry is using good practice from this project to revise the legal requirements against drink driving for bus drivers,” said Nguyen. “They are working to enhance regular and ongoing enforcement by transport inspectors.”
The bus driver project education and enforcement campaigns will run through January. “We are working with ICAP to design Phase 2 of the project,” said DRVN’s Deputy General Director Nguyen Van Quyen. “We think that all project activities can be sustained with ICAP’s continued supervision after the project ends in February 2012.”
What’s Happening Next:
· Colombia: Our team in Columbia is completing a best practices booklet "Experiencias Demostrativas" which focuses on the Pactos por la Vida program in six Colombian cities.
· China: Channel Research site visits will take place January 12-13 in Beijing, January 16-17 in Nanjing, and January 18 in Shanghai.
