Vietnamese shake off helmet use

HANOI, Vietnam — The head-trauma ward at Viet Duc Hospital in Vietnam's capital is so crammed with beds, they line both sides of the room and spill out in the hallway. All are filled with unconscious patients with head injuries — motorcyclists who crashed with no helmets.

Vietnam has one of the world's highest traffic-fatality rates, with nearly 13,000 deaths recorded last year alone — the majority involving the ubiquitous motorbike. Few people bother with helmets, saying they are hot, bulky and unfashionable. But as of Dec. 15, everyone will be required to don them as the government enforces a new law intended to save lives.

The Health Ministry kicked off a traffic-safety campaign Wednesday to raise awareness before the new rules take effect.

"It's not only the deaths, it's the tens of thousands of injuries. Some people become like vegetables," said Jean-Marc Olive, World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Vietnam. "Also what is quite sad is that the major proportion of accidents occur in young adults."

More than 20 million motorbikes cram Vietnam's busy streets on an average day, and their numbers are growing as the country becomes wealthier. The roads are also some of the most hazardous on Earth. Few drivers look before pulling into traffic. Speeding, weaving, underage driving and drunken driving are common.

Vietnam's traffic-fatality rate is about 27 per 100,000 — nearly double that of the United States and among the highest in the world, according to WHO.

But those statistics mean little to most motorbike commuters in Hanoi.

"It is an unenforceable law. Wearing helmets in cities is ridiculous," said Nguyen Tung Anh, 21, a student in Hanoi. "It will reduce drivers' vision, hearing and it is not suitable for the weather conditions here."

Helmets now are required only on highways outside cities, where violators face fines equal to $1.25. When Vietnam tried to impose a helmet law in 2001, angry drivers protested and the government backed down. Some say they will obey this time only if forced.

"I cannot imagine myself wearing trendy clothes together with a helmet," said Le Tra My, 18, who was shopping for hats at an upscale store in Hanoi. "It will look awful."