VietNamNet Bridge – Up to 70 percent of traffic accidents are related to motorcycles and mopeds and 30 percent of the victims suffer from brain damage leading to death. Some 72 of people on the road wear substandard helmets.
The above information is provided by Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Luyen of the Road and Railway Traffic Police Department.
According to Luyen, there are over 30,000 cases of road traffic accidents in Vietnam annually, with an estimated 11,000 people dead and 38,000 wounded.
In particular, 70 percent of the cases are related to motorcycles and 30 percent of the victims suffer from brain damage leading to death. Therefore, using helmet is really necessary for people traveling on motorcycles and mopeds, he confirmed.
The police officer said that a large number of motorbike drivers do not wear the helmet in the right way and more than 70 percent of them use substandard helmets. However, according to Luyen, Vietnam currently does not have sanctions on those who wear substandard helmets.
Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan, Director of the Product Quality Management Agency said standard helmets must have three parts (the cover, the inside shock absorber and the strap. Helmets must be certified with the QCVN 2:2008 / BKHCN standards and be labeled in accordance with the law.
A campaign on changing substandard helmets for standard ones was launched in Hanoi last month. A similar program will begin in Saigon in May.
PV