Through a combination of various interventions - including the improvement of school zone infrastructure, education, communications, and policy advocacy - the ‘Slow Zones, Safe Zones’ programme has made landmark advances to protect children on their way to school. It began with two pilot schools and expanded throughout Pleiku City. It eventually reached all 31 primary schools in the city. Out of them, 23 schools managed to get the maximum 5-star safety rating, as assessed by the Star Rating for Schools tool.

National and local governments were awarded in recognition of their initiation of the ‘Slow Zones, Safe Zones’ programme, and the resulting infrastructure improvements and reductions in speed limits conducted in partnership with FIA Member Club AIP Foundation, supported by Fondation Botnar, the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), iRAP, the FIA Road Safety Grants Programme and the FIA Foundation.

The Prince Michael International Road Traffic Safety Award 2020 was given to the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) and the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) for their great contribution to the improvement of road safety around the world.

The Gia Lai Province People’s Committee and Pleiku City People’s Committee received the International Vision Zero for Youth Leadership Award 2022 as a recognition of noteworthy road safety practices that can inspire other cities to take bold steps to reach zero traffic deaths among children and youth in their communities.

FIA Region II President Greig Craft, who is also AIP Foundation Founder and President, handed over the International Vision Zero for Youth Leadership Award 2022. He declared, “AIP Foundation is proud that ‘Slow Zones, Safe Zones’ has been recognised with the Prince Michael International Road Traffic Safety Award 2020 and the International Vision Zero for Youth Leadership Award 2022. Youth is at the heart of our work towards vision zero for global road safety and equal access to mobility. We need to safeguard and empower our next generation to create a future that serves everyone equally.”

FIA Foundation Executive Director Saul Billingsley, who handed over the Prince Michael International Road Traffic Safety Award 2020, stated, “These prestigious awards recognise the commitment to road safety of the Vietnamese government at national, regional and city level. The ‘Slow Zones, Safe Zones’ interventions in Pleiku clearly demonstrate that low traffic speeds, combined with safe infrastructure design, are the best way to protect children on their vital school journey. We hope that children across Vietnam will benefit as this evidence is translated into national action.”

The work that started in Pleiku City to reduce speeds in school zones forms a model that can be replicated both in national and global contexts. Key elements include using evidence-based systems for data collection such as the iRAP Star Rating for Schools app, developing local capacity in applying these technologies, forming partnerships across the public and private sector, launching awareness campaigns to mobilise the public, and demonstrating the proven value of investing in road safety to governments.