VietNamNet Bridge – Motorcycle and bicycle drivers who wear helmets that do not meet the technical standards will be fined as those who do not wear helmets or do not fasten the strap properly.
The four ministries of Science, Technology, Trade and Industry, Public Security and Transportation have issued a joint circular No. 06/2013 on the production, import, trading and use of helmets for motorcyclists and bicycles.
The circular sets detailed criteria on the quality of helmets. Notably, it stipulates that drivers who use the helmets that do not meet the above criteria will be fined from VND100,000 to VND200,000 ($5-10).
However, imposing fines on drivers who wear fake helmets from April 2013 poses a challenge for traffic police because the police lack equipment to clarify the quality of helmets, says Colonel Dao Vinh Thang, Head of the Hanoi Road – Railway Traffic Police Agency.
Earlier, during an inspection of the helmet market in Hanoi, the authorities found that 100 percent of helmet shops breaking the rules. Of over 3,330 helmets that were checked, up to 59.89 percent did not have invoices and certificates of origin.
According to the National Traffic Safety Committee, 90 percent of people use helmets on the road but only 30 percent of them use up-to-standard helmets.
On the morning of March 7, the Hanoi authorities began inspecting helmet shops on the Hue Street, where hosts the highest number of helmet shops in Hanoi, and seized a large amount of poor quality helmets.
The inspection in pictures:
P. Lan
Photo: Dan Tri