Laos: Saviours of the Street

101 East examines what is driving the high number of fatal road accidents in Laos and Southeast Asia.



When French paramedic Sebastian Perret witnessed a fatal accident in the Laos capital, Vientiane, in 2010, he was shocked that no ambulance came to help.

Every day, four people die in road crashes across Laos, giving the country one of the region's worst road fatalities per capita in the region. Many more are injured but most cannot afford to pay a government ambulance to help them.

Unable to ignore the plight of the city's road crash victims, Perret set up Vientiane Rescue, a volunteer ambulance service.

Vientiane Rescue's volunteers include school students and shopkeepers who deal with the carnage caused by speeding, drink driving, and underage motorists.