Vietnam Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers aims for larger role in improving road safety in Vietnam

The association also released the results of the cooperation programme in 2015 and the results of the three researches on traffic safety in Ho Chi Minh City and Thai Nguyen that it funded.

The cooperation programme was first signed on February 4, 2015 with the aim to research motorbike usage behaviour, raise awareness, and train motorbike riders to improve traffic safety as well as share experience with government agencies on traffic management in a bid to decrease the number of motorbike-related traffic accidents.

In 2015 within the framework of the programme 1.2 million children of primary and middle schools were educated on traffic safety, as were 56,000 high school and college students. The programme also gave 65,000 helmets to people.

In the framework of the programme, VAMM funded three research projects on the topics of ownership and usage of motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City, traffic accidents involving children in Ho Chi Minh City, and motorbike accidents in the northern province of Thai Nguyen, with a view to build proposals addressing root causes.

The results of the first research show that motorbikes are the main means of everyday transportation in Ho Chi Minh City. The average household in the city has 4.12 members, of which 2.29 are employed, and owns 2.33 motorbikes. The popularity of motorbikes is expected to remain unbroken because of their convenience and economic benefits compared to a largely unattractive public transportation system.

The second research found that in Ho Chi Minh City between 2013 and 2015 the number of traffic accidents involving people under 18 rose by 190 per cent. The casualty count rose 217 per cent, with high school students accounting for 70 per cent.

The percentage of passengers not wearing helmets is overwhelmingly high for younger generations: 80 per cent of kindergarten children, 50 per cent of primary school children, and 15 per cent of middle and high school children wear no helmets.

The ratio of high school students dying in traffic accidents rose from 10 in 2013 to 32.5 every 100,000 high school students by 2015. This is three to four times higher than death from traffic accidents in general (all age groups) in Ho Chi Minh City and eight to nine times higher than the ratio for high school students in developed countries.

The researchers proposed traffic safety education as a mandatory subject in school, holding parents and schools responsible for ensuring children’s safety and controlling the use of electric bikes among school students.

In Thai Nguyen, the majority of accidents are a result of traffic violations, while 13 per cent are due to bad road conditions and bad lighting at night. The research proposes improving the traffic infrastructure, raising the fine on violations, and improving training for vehicle users.

The results are a basis to propose solutions to increase road safety and policies to manage and orient the development of the motorbike manufacturing industry in Vietnam.

“In 2015, the programme made important contributions to raising awareness and improving traffic safety in Vietnam. The results of these research projects will be used in crafting policies to make roads safer throughout the country,” said Khuat Viet Hung, NTSC’s deputy chairman.

“We commit to a long-term cooperation with NTSC and are ready to intensify efforts to improve traffic safety and decrease the number of motorbike accidents. VAMM wants to give opinion when the government builds policies on urban planning and managing urban traffic in order to benefit the people,” said chairman Yano Takeshi, adding that the association is also going to invite international traffic experts to propose practical and suitable solutions.

In 2016, VAMM is going to provide an additional VND1 billion ($47,000) for a research on high school students’ traffic in Hanoi. VAMM is going to continue research in order to provide products that are safer and more environmentally friendly.

VAMM was established in 2013. Members include Vietnamese subsidiaries of Honda, Piaggio, SYM, Suzuki, and Yamaha Motor.