HO CHI MINH CITY, May 12, 2019 — FedEx Express (FedEx), a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, together with AIP Foundation/ Safe Kids Vietnam, celebrated UN Global Road Safety Week with a workshop to recognize the milestones of the Walk This Way program.
Launched in 2009 and conducted by FedEx and AIP Foundation/ Safe Kids Vietnam to increase awareness of child pedestrian safety and improve road user behaviors in Vietnam, the Walk This Way program has reached more than 200,000 students from 315 primary and secondary schools across the country. Through the program, helmets, reflective jackets and caps, pedestrian safety pencil cases, and pedestrian safety books have been donated to students.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the program led to the installation of school zone modifications for the Ket Doan Primary School in District 1; Mach Kiem Hung Secondary School in District 5; Pham Van Chi Primary School, and Hung Vuong Primary School in District 6. Selected from 37 program schools based on zoning needs, the school modifications included the installation of sidewalks, yellow warning lights and refuge islands, as well as basic elements like school zone and pedestrian crossing signs and slow-down markings.
The modifications were based on the findings of the International Road Assessment Program (iRAP), which helps rate the risks and safety of roads on a 1-star (least safe) to 5-star (safest) scale. These road upgrades led to an increase in the star rating of all four schools, ensuring a measurable improvement of the safety level offered to students on their way to the school. Post-modification results showed that all schools had at least a three or above according to the SR4S ratings.
The workshop gathered representatives from the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Safety Committee, Ho Chi Minh Department of Transportation and Ho Chi Minh Department of Education and Training, as well as from the selected and participating schools. All participants expressed delight in the continuing improvement of road safety in the city.
“Road safety remains a serious issue in Vietnam,” said Hardy Diec, managing director, FedEx Express Indochina. According to the National Traffic Safety Committee, traffic accidents are the second leading cause of death and serious injury for children from infancy to 19 years old, with more than 1,900 children dying every year due to traffic accidents.
“As an international transportation and logistics corporation, FedEx has more than 185,000 vehicles on the road worldwide each day,” said Diec. “As such, road safety is our utmost priority, not only for couriers but for pedestrians. By supporting the Walk This Way program, we want to make our roads safer for our pedestrians particularly our chilren.
“Walk This Way is a simple yet impactful step towards achieving greater awareness of the necessity of road safety, and we are delighted to see the many accomplishments Walk This Way has had so far,” adds Diec. “We know there is still a lot of work ahead of us, but we believe by working together, we can achieve our goal of further improving the safety of our local communities.”