By Giang Nguyen | Development Coordinator
More than half of the world’s road traffic fatalities occur in South-East Asia and the Western Pacific, where powered two- and three-wheelers account for more than a third of deaths. Safe helmet use reduces the risk of death sixfold, and the risk of brain injury by up to 74%, but progress has been uneven across the region, particularly in opening up access to quality helmets.
To address this issue, AIP Foundation and FIA Foundation organized The Safe Helmets for Asia Pacific (SHAP) to facilitate dialogues across six countries including Cambodia, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam . SHAP 2026 was recently launched in Vietnam, gathering representatives from regional countries and key organizations such as WHO to strengthen the systems that make motorcycle helmets effective and accessible, with practical actions that save lives.
During the three-day summit, the delegates paid a visit to Protec Factory, one of Vietnam’s major manufacturers of high-quality and certified helmets, including ones for children. After learning the technical and business requirements of setting up a helmet testing lab and a helmet factory, countries’ representatives commit to build similar infrastructure in their home countries, to bring certified helmets to even more people.
At the conclusion of the 3-day SHAP Summit, participating countries identified and explored practical approaches to strengthening helmet standards, testing and certification, quality assurance, market surveillance, enforcement, and affordability as key areas for continued action.
“We must now ensure that the helmets people wear are safe, certified and capable of providing meaningful protection.” said Sir Greig Craft, Founder and President of AIP Foundation.
With action plans designed for each country, the government representatives showed a strong commitment to pilot and implement initiatives to improve comprehensive helmet safety systems across the region. These efforts to increase the rate of wearing certified helmets promise greater safety for all road users across the region.
By Katelyn Sullivan | Development and Communications Coordinator
By Trinh Vo | Development Assistant
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