HÀ NỘI – From last Friday, police in Hà Nội have started checking electric motorbikes without number plates, and a great number of drivers have been discovered violating the laws in the past four days.

Observations by the Giao Thông (Transport) newspaper’s correspondent showed that within only 30 minutes, dozens of electric motorbikes without number plates were discovered at the Xã Đàn-Nam Đồng intersection in Đống Đa District.

The police handed out warnings to the drivers concerned, most of whom were students.

Phạm Văn Chiến, deputy director of the Hà Nội Traffic Police Division No 3, told the Nông Thôn Ngày Nay (Countryside Today) newspaper that the division assigned police to patrol hot spots such as high schools and main roads to give warnings to drivers.

More education will be given so that they will register their electric motorbike in the future as per the regulations, he said.

Chiến said that many people thought electric motorbikes were considered to be in the same category as electric bicycles, so they were unaware of the serious consequences of disobeying the regulations.

They also believed that electric motorbikes were for children and young people only, and did not pay enough attention to completing procedures when buying an electric motorbike.

The clearest difference between an electric motorbike and electric bicycle was that the electric motorbike could reach speeds of up to 100kph, whereas an electric bicycle could only manage 30-40kph, Chiến said.

Chiến added that to encourage citizens to register their electric motorbikes, the Ministry of Public Security last year promulgated Circular 54, in which a supplement detailed regulations for registering the vehicle.

Under the circular, from December 6 last year to June 30 this year, to register electric motorbikes, residents need only two kinds of papers including the photocopy of the family record book and identity cards.

After July 1 this year, those registering electric motorbikes must bring papers such as the vehicles’ inspection papers issued by relevant organisations, papers proving the vehicles’ origin, as well as the photocopy of the family record book and identity cards.

After August 1, people caught contravening the regulations will be fined VNĐ300,000-400,000 (US$13-17). — VNS