Context The road safety situation in Myanmar is deteriorating. It has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of road fatalities and injuries. The majority of fatalities occurs among 2–3 wheel motorcyclists, which accounted for 58% of total road deaths. Motorcyclist safety is a major issue for Mandalay Region, with robust efforts being reported by the police to improve helmet wearing.

Process The Myanmar Road Safety Action Plan 2014–2020 intends to achieve a 90% helmet-wearing rate across the country. Recognizing the danger to safety, the AIP Foundation implemented the Helmet Education and Distribution (HED) program in Mandalay in 2017.

Objectives - Increase helmet use among students who are often motorcycle passengers.

- Improve the road safety knowledge of teachers and students.

During 2018–2020 the program donated 5,027 helmets and educated 7,392 students at six program schools.

Analysis To assess the effectiveness of intervention activities, monitoring and evaluation methodologies were applied. One method was filmed helmet observation, and the other was a questionnaire for base-line knowledge across two periods: pre- and post- intervention.

Outcomes Overall, helmet-wearing rates increased from 1.9% pre-intervention to 53.3% post-intervention. The knowledge about helmet safety of students of all grades improved, with the percentage of students receiving good and excellent scores increasing from 45% to 62%.

Learning Outcomes The success of HED in Mandalay provides critical evidence to support the expansion of this school program. Furthermore, improving enforcement and community awareness is crucial to increasing helmet use and contributing to sustainably reduce road traffic fatalities in Myanmar.