Hun Sen Bunrany Wat Phnom High School will host the ceremony on 24 December that will be chaired by H.E Im Koch, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports. The kick-off ceremony at Boeung Trabaek High School on 30th of December will be chaired by  H.E Lieutenant General Chan Kim Seng, Director of Central Department of Public Order, Ministry of Interior. Both events will include student performances, remarks from sponsors and government representatives, road safety lessons and trivia games. 

“Before and after the kick-off ceremonies, helmet use training workshops will be organized to arm students and teachers with valuable road safety and helmet use skills and information,” said  H.E Im Koch, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports. “It is our hope that the education these students receive will empower them to become safer, smarter road users.”

According to Cambodia’s Road Crash Victim Information System (RCVIS) 2012 report, road crash fatalities in Cambodia have doubled over the past eight years while the number of registered motorized vehicles on Cambodia’s roads has increased by 278 percent. In 2012, Phnom Penh had the highest number of road fatalities of all provinces in Cambodia. Motorcycle riders accounted for 68 percent of the total fatalities and only 22 percent of motorcycle riders were found to be wearing a helmet at the time of their crash. 

“Road traffic injuries are the number one killer of young people aged 15-29 worldwide,” said Pagna Kim, AIP Foundation Country Director for Cambodia. “High school students are extremely vulnerable to road traffic injuries, and the best treatment is prevention. The intention of these events is not only to educate students and teachers about the importance of helmet use, but also warn them against two main causes of road traffic crashes: speeding and drunk driving.” 

This is the second year of Chevron’s collaboration on AIP Foundation Cambodia’s helmet awareness activities, and its first year as a sponsor of Helmets for Youth. 

“At Chevron, safety is our utmost priority,” said Chang Swee Wah, representative of Chevron (Cambodia) Limited. “This means not just encouraging safe behaviors among our staff, but also in the communities where we operate. It is our hope that the students here today will take these lessons to heart, and will in turn practice safer road behaviors and encourage their loved ones to do the same.” 
“ It has been predicted that the number of annual road fatalities in Cambodia will increase up to 3,200 by 2020, if additional measures are not taken to increase road safety.,” said  H.E Lieutenant General Chan Kim Seng, Director of Central Department of Public Order, Ministry of Interior. “We are pleased to see these efforts to make roads safe at the community level.”