Parents to face fines in child helmet crackdown - Social Issues

Updated

September, 12 2012 10:05:00

Parents to face fines in child helmet crackdown

Many parents ignore buying helmets for their children despite their effectivness in reducing injuries and preventing fatalities. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tung

HCM CITY (VNS)— Traffic police in HCM City will fine motorbike drivers carrying children without helmets today. They will be particularly in force in districts 1, 9, 12, Binh Thanh and Binh Tan.

The move is part of activities by the city's Traffic Safety Committee, the Road and Rail Traffic Police Department and the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the non-profit, Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation.

While helmets reduce injuries by two thirds and cut fatalities by nearly half, most parents ignore buying them for their children.

About 10,000 leaflets are issued today along with 500 posters and 120 panels.

The programme aims to boost the ratio of children wearing helmets to at least 60 per cent by end of this year.

Latest WHO statistics show that 77 per cent of adults wear helmets but only 32 per cent of children.

Each year, about 1,000 children die and 2,000 others are injured in traffic accidents.

By law, children aged six and over must wear a helmet when travelling on a motorbike. — VNS

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