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Vietnam considers limiting motorcycles

Vietnam hanoi
Vietnam traffic

If you’ve ever visited Vietnam you will have marvelled at how much they can fit on their motorcycles and scooters and how the crowded traffic system seems to flow.Vietnam

However, 25 Vietnamese a day are killed riding motorcycles which represents 70% of all accidents, so the government is now considering limiting the number of motorcycles.

Those figures are a little misleading because they don’t take into account the fact that motorcycles represent 85% of all traffic and there are 39 million motorcycles registered in the country. Vietnam’s transport system would simply grind to a halt if motorcycles were limited.

That’s why the World Bank has stepped in and urged the Vietnam Government not to limit ownership of motorcycles, but improve safety standards and increase public transport options.Vietnam

The main safety issue is helmets. While 95% of riders wear helmets, the standard is very low. I’ve seen Vietnamese riders with nothing more than an ice-cream bucket on their heads.

Also, while the percentage of riders with helmets is high, only one in four children wears a helmet as a pillion and sometimes motorcycles are way overloaded with the whole family on board, plus a pig!

They should also look at other safety issues such as overloading and the widespread use of mobile phones while riding.

Vietnam Clearly, Vietnam needs to address some serious issues about safety rather than simply restricting the number of motorcycles.

But then, their attitude seems reminiscent of governments in western countries which seem to find ways to like more difficult for riders rather than improving driver/rider education, introducing advanced road rules or improving infrastructure.

  1. This is a typically stupid idea by elite politicians that ride in the back of black limos and find motorcycles in the city annoying.
    I currently live in China and the motorcycles are being taken off the streets here because “they cause a public safety concern and don’t represent modern transport”. Heck, I even have to sign a document every time I get petrol unlike car drivers because I “might use petrol for antisocial purposes”!! Elites don’t like their black (insert German luxo barge here) being held up by average people moving about the city. They resent having poor people being able to get past them in traffic jams. They resent having to see poor people anywhere near them.
    I have also lived in Vietnam and many elites feel that traffic congestion is caused by motorbikes !!!!!!! DUMB DUMB DUMB !!!
    Have a look at the picture above, look at the space taken up by the cars compared to the amount of people they are transporting (probably 1 or 2). When pretentious clowns right laws, the average person is the least of their worries.

      1. Hi Mark,
        I’ve lived and ridden bikes in Australia, Philippines, Vietnam and now China. I’m no wordsmith so maybe you could heavily edit my article? But I’d be happy to write something, before I break my neck (again).
        Cheers
        Tony

  2. “70% of all accidents while accounting for 85% of all vehicles”
    So 30% of accidents are caused by the remaining 15% of vehicles Right?
    That makes motorcycles the safer option yes?
    So all we have to do to cut the road toll and de- congest our roads
    is to ban all cars .Two wheels good ,Four wheels bad

  3. The vietnamese government is merely doing what ours has been doing for years
    on everything from traffic fines to electricity prices
    Its called reverse engineering first decide on the result then make the data justify it
    Dropping money from fine revenue due to increased driver compliance?
    Go zero tolerance and say its to improve road safety.
    Coal prices and power usage dropping? “gold plate assets and jack up prices
    to guarantee well paid board membership and political party donations
    Christmas and easter are among the safest times to drive yet we see a feeding
    frenzy from highway patrols all over the country it has never had anything
    to do with road safety only revenue collection Hence the doubling of fines in some states, but speak out, and its like you just
    condemned motherhood
    Fine revenue to state governments is like heroin to junkies. no matter how much
    you comply they will come up with more and more inventive ways to part you from your
    money

  4. Hi there
    Lived and rode bikes in Saigon, over the 9 years I was there, I have seen definate improvements, seggregation of cars from bikes works quite well, most people do stop at red lights now!
    There is a definate rise in large capacity bikes now, I had a 900 Hornet as well as a couple of smaller bikes too.
    Mick

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