Deaths rise on Vietnam's risky roads

Motorbikes are the main form of transport in Vietnam

By Bob Howard in Vietnam

The Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital is one of the busiest in Hanoi.

The day I visited was a fairly routine one, with nine operations, all but one of them involving victims of traffic accidents.

Just 10 years ago, Vietnam had only half a million vehicles of any description on the roads. Today there are at least seven million bikes alone, and the rate of accidents has spiralled alarmingly.

Do Tu Anh is increasingly concerned about the level of accidents

Last year more than 7,000 people died on the roads, with well over half of the accidents involving motorbikes.

A new law was scheduled to be introduced in June, which would have obliged all motorcyclists to wear crash helmets or pay a 20,000 dong ($1.40) fine.

This was the third time the Vietnamese government had tried to enforce the law, and once again popular opposition forced it to back down. Now only motorcyclists riding on highways without helmets will be penalised.

Many people refer to helmets as "rice cookers", because they "cook" the rider's head in the hot and humid conditions in the cities.

New solution

One solution might be a new light-weight helmet which has been developed by Asia Injury Prevention Foundation in Hanoi. The organisation was set up by an American, Greig Craft, who was alarmed at the number of people dying on the roads.

People here don't understand about traffic laws

Dr Thach

The company hopes to produce the helmets locally for around $6 each. The foundation's executive director, Do Tu Anh, says it is an uphill battle to convince people to buy them.

"The Vietnamese don't like to wear helmets. They're very hot and very heavy. We want to make the helmets fashionable," she said.

Do Tu Anh speaks from personal experience about the dangers of riding motorbikes. Two years ago she lost two cousins in two days when they came off their bikes. The second cousin died on the way to the funeral of the first.

Traffic laws

Unlike in other countries, speeding and alcohol are not the main reason for the high accident rate. Many accidents happen at speeds of under 30 kilometres per hour because people fail to obey the basic rules of the road.

It is very common to see people riding the wrong way down one way streets. And at intersections there is little idea of who should give way.

Back at the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital, Dr Thach hopes that education will make motorcyclists more careful.

Many Vietnamese are none too keen on "rice cookers"

"People here don't understand about traffic laws," he said. "Sometimes we get a real rush of road accident victims. Then we have to sort out those who are the most seriously injured so they can be treated first."

The Vietnamese Government hopes that, in the future, improved public transport will reduce the need for private vehicles. Pham The Minh, the vice-minister for transport, said that Vietnam has been studying other models to try and provide a safer system.

"As we have developed a little bit later than other countries we have a chance to learn from their experiences," he said. "Public transport will play the most important roles - buses, metro and monorail."

Meanwhile, just getting people on motorbikes to respect the basic rules of the road seems a big enough challenge.