April 6 – “Making Myanmar’s Roads Safer” campaign was launched at the Sedona Hotel, with the aim of reducing the number of road accidents and deaths in Myanmar. Myanmar’s roads are reportedly among the most dangerous in Southeast Asia.
In the campaign APB Alliance Brewery, which is part of the Heineken company, teamed up with the Road Transport Administration Department (RTAD) under the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Italian INGO CESVI. “APB ABC feels strongly about taking its corporate social responsibility,” said Zita Schellekens, Director Corporate Relations at APB ABC. “We feel connected to those who are buying our products, and want to play our part in addressing issues that are important to their lives. Road safety is one of these issues. The lifting of import restrictions has led to an influx of cars. As a result Myanmar’s traffic has become more congested and dangerous in part because there are so many inexperienced drivers on the roads.”
Chit Ko Ko, The director general of the Road Transport Administration Department (RTAD) said “It is a government priority to make sure people know and respect the rules of the road. Topics like no speeding, wearing seatbelts, no drink driving, and no mobile phone usage while driving are crucial in saving live on Myanmar’s roads. That is why we support this campaign. If we work together, we can bring down the number of accidents and deaths.”
Myanmar Traffic Police is playing its part in making Myanmar’s roads safer. Police Col. Kyaw Htwe of the Traffic Police Force: “Knowledge of the traffic rules is important. Enforcing them is equally important. It keeps our streets safe. In the past we often lacked the resources to enforce the rules and regulations efficiently, but we were able to make big leaps forward in the last couple of years.”
Italian INGO CESVI is also partnering in the road safety campaign. “Our focus will be on a series of radio talkshowabout road safety and an educational program in schools. Our youth are our future. If you teach the young, they will behave responsibly in traffic when they are older,” said country representative Pietro Fiore. After the campaign launch on April 6 in Yangon, the online and print and billboard Thingyan advertisement campaign would start. Future campaign milestones will be the release of a free road safety app and the first of seven animated cartoons in early May and the National Road Safety Conference in Nay Pyi Taw, scheduled to take place in July.
