"Children also need a helmet"- Setting the Facts Straight on Child Helmet Use in Vietnam
15/11/2011
From November 2 to 30, 2011, 50,000 flyers refuting widespread myths about child helmet wearing were distributed in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang.
This marks the launch of a public awareness campaign focused on child motorcycle helmet use, which is being run by the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC), the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), and the National Traffic Police (C67). The campaign is being implemented by Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation and will be accompanied by strengthened police enforcement.
While most Vietnamese adults wear helmets, in compliance with the national legislation mandating helmets for motorcycle riders, child helmet use rates are dangerously low. Decree 34 requires children to wear helmets starting at age six, and involves a fine for parents whose children are non-compliant. However, recent observations set the national child helmet wearing rate at 34%, and as low as 16.7% in some areas.
