Road safety stakeholders, students, teachers, parents, local, and international media representatives attended the event. Among the attendees were H.E Hour Chhunkry, High Representative of Minister of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports, Mr Chhoun Voun, Deputy Direct of Transport, and Permanent Deputy Secretary General of the National Road Safety Committee (NRSC). At the event, 804 helmets were donated to students; teachers and parents at Sothearos Primary School, extra-curricular activities such as a question and answer session on road safety topics, a road crossing simulation corner, and a helmet wearing demonstration were held to raise awareness about the importance of quality helmet use and of practicing safe road behavior.   

“This is the fourth year that Manulife Cambodia has sponsored the implementation of Helmets for Families,” said Pagna Kim, Cambodia Country Director, AIP Foundation. “With the goal of preventing head injury and saving Cambodian lives, Manulife proves their commitment through their continued sponsorship.” 

The event welcomed the upcoming enforcement of the passenger helmet law, which is scheduled to begin enforcement on 1 January, 2016—traffic police will begin fining anyone found driving a motorcycle or riding as a passenger without a helmet. While the law includes passengers, the final sub-decree does not include child passengers in enforcement. Failing to include children in the law’s enforcement leaves children vulnerable to injury and/or death in the event of a crash.  

“The helmet handover ceremony will hopefully encourage students to wear their helmets whenever they ride as passengers on a motorcycle. Children, while not included in the enforcement, are important to protect. We do not want to lose young lives especially when injury is preventable. To provide children with helmets is an important step in protecting their lives, but the next should be inclusion in the passenger helmet law,” commented Mr Chhoun Voun, Deputy Direct of Transport, and Permanent Deputy Secretary General of the National Road Safety Committee (NRSC).

H.E Hour Chhunkry, High Representative of Minister of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports said, “An informed public is instrumental to successful law enforcement. Helmets for Families provides an excellent environment for the exchange of information to educate people about helmet use and the law.  We hope that the event encourages the community to wear helmets and to insist that children wear them as well."