Helmets.
They can be the most important thing and the most annoying thing when it comes to motor bike riding. They have been a big issue for a long time in Vietnam. Helmets were not highly used a couple of years ago, and the rate of deaths and injuries due to traffic accidents was much higher. According to Grieg Kraft, an American man who lived in Vietnam in order to promote helmet use, in 2000, fewer than 3% of Vietnam motorbike riders wore helmets. 25 riders were killed everyday, and many of them were from brain damage (1).
Many people in Vietnam don’t like wearing helmets because of the lack of comfort, especially during very hot months. And, they can feel heavy. I know this from experience. My housekeeper used to pick me up from school on her motorbike and by the time I got home my neck would ache. And it ruins a good hair day. Finally, Vietnamese claim that helmets disrupt their hearing…..and are not suitable for children.
This all changed on December 17th, 2007. A new law required that all people riding motorbikes were to wear a helmet. One week, virtually no one was wearing a helmet. A week later, nearly 100% of the people had changed their behavior due to the risk of incurring a fine. According to the hospitals, the number of people sustaining head injuries from traffic accidents dropped immediately after the law was passed. In Ho Chi Minh City, for example, the head injury rate fell by about 50% on weekends. Hence, the helmet law was serving it purpose. (1).
However, over time, lax behavior has crept in. Many motorbike riders do not regularly wear helmets or weak very small, fashionable head gear which is unlikely to provide much protection. This seems to be especially common with teenagers--who also appear to enjoy adventurous (i.e high speed and swerving) motorbike riding. The other day, I want for a walk around the suburban West Lake area of Hanoi. I began to count how many motorists were not wearing a helmet. Within fifteen minutes, the number reached twenty. And this was on a weekend day when traffic was relatively light.
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After doing further research, I found out why I often find CHILDREN not wearing helmets. First of all, the law does not apply to people under the age of 16 (2). Parents use this to their advantage, and it aids their belief that the helmets injure the neck and throat of children, and disrupts the development of the brain of young children. I always see children sitting and standing in dangerous places, such in the middle of the two parents on the seat or in front of the driver on the ledge between the seat and the handles. These children aren't wearing helmets, so if they fall, they have almost no chance of surviving. That is why children are involved in 90% of the traffic accidents (3).
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Today after taking a trip downtown, I was able to capture some photos of...well, you'll just have to look for yourself.
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Works Cited
1. "Head Injury in Vietnam." Bike Helmet Safety Institute. N.p., 21 Dec. 2007. Web.
2. "VIETNAM: Stricter child helmet law needed." IRINews. N.p., 20 Jan. 2011. Web.
3."VIETNAM: Helmet habit is saving lives ." IRINews. N.p., 16 Dec. 2008. Web. 25
Hey I'm loving this blog, keep posting you've obviously done some research for it. Maybe more pictures??
ReplyDeleteLack of helmets seem to happen in Washington DC.. I ride my bike to work every day and am always surprised by how few bikers wear helmets.
ReplyDelete... :O babies in the front?
ReplyDelete