29 June 2023 Hanoi, Vietnam – UNITAR in collaboration with the Automobile Association Vietnam (AA Vietnam) and the University of Transport and Communications (UTC), FIA Region II Asia and with the participation of the Vietnam National Traffic Safety Committee kicks off today the Autosobriety Training Programme to Prevent Drink-Driving. 

Vietnam is home to more than 95 million people, representing a registered 4 million cars and 64 million motorbikes. Vietnam is experiencing rapid urbanization and motorization which outpaces infrastructure change. Every year, an estimated 24,970 people die as a result of road crashes, and another 499,400 are seriously injured, accounting for an estimated USD 3 billion annual loss to GDP. In Vietnam, 32% of men’s road crash injuries and 20% of women’s road crash injuries are related to alcohol. Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization, 34% of Vietnam’s road traffic deaths involve alcohol, which surges on national holidays to an estimated 60% of hospitalized crash victims related to alcohol.

The overall objective of the Autosobriety Training Programme is to contribute – through education and public awareness - to advance Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.6 – Reduce by half road traffic deaths and injuries, and the UN Global Performance Target for Road Safety (Risk Factor 9 – By 2030, halve the number of road traffic injuries and fatalities related to drivers using alcohol, and/or achieve a reduction in those related to other psychoactive substances).

The launch event hosted at UTC included the participation of Mr. Khuat Viet Hung, Executive Chairman of the Vietnam National Traffic Safety Committee, Colonel Pham Viet Cong, Deputy Chief of the Office of the Traffic Police Department, Prof. Nguyen Long, President of UTC, Ms. Huang Wang, Associate Director for Pernod Ricard Asia, Mr. Greig Craft, President of FIA Region II, and Ms. Estrella Merlos on behalf of UNITAR.

To contribute to tackling this issue, the Autosobriety Training Programme to Prevent Drink-Driving will be disseminated through various training courses, awareness-raising campaigns, and through its educational tools including online educational modules, a 360-degree video to experience the effects of alcohol on driving performance through Virtual Reality, and a microlearning course. 

The curriculum consists of four online user-friendly modules which have been translated and adapted to the language, context, legal regulations, and culture of Vietnam. Participants will receive basic knowledge with statistics about road crashes; impacts of alcohol on driving performance; risks and legal consequences; and personal responsibility toward drunk driving.

The Autosobriety Training Programme this year will be piloted in three major cities of Vietnam, including Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. A pre-and post-test will be conducted on all participants. This will be important evidence to recommend to the related government agencies for necessary education and communication programmes on drunk driving throughout the country.