Vietnam: Prevalence Of Motorcycle Helmet Use Varies By Road Type

In Vietnam, a recent study has shown that the likelihood of a motorcyclist and his or her passenger wearing a helmet depends on where they are, and on what kind of road they are traveling. Hung and his colleagues from the George Institute at the University of Sydney, observed motorcycle helmet wearing and found that it was greater among riders on national or provincial roads – where helmet wearing is compulsory by law – than on district or inner city roads.

In Vietnam, the number of motorcycles has grown by almost ten times since 1992. Motorcyles increased from 1.8 million in 1992 to 11.3 million in 2003. Deaths and injuries are increasing too. Deaths rose from 4,900 in 1994 to almost 13,000 in 2002. Injuries increased from about 14,000 to nearly 30,000 during the same period. Helmet legislation was first introduced in 2000, and a year later helmet wearing was made compulsory for all motorcycle riders on certain routes and on all national roads. In February, 2003, a fine of VN$10,000 – 20,000 ($US 0.70 – 1.50) was introduced for not wearing a helmet on compulsory roads.

Hung and his colleagues sought to examine the prevalence of helmet use on different types of roads in the Hai Duong Province in northern Vietnam. This province has a population of about 1.7 million people living in urban and rural areas. They observed over 16,000 motorcycle drivers and 8,600 passengers at 37 sites for helmet wearing. After weighting their observations for the type of road the motorcyclists were using (national, provincial, district, commune, and inner city), they determined an overall helmet use rate. This overall rate was about 30%. But wearing differed by type of road. On the national roads, where helmet wearing was required, the rate was 59%. On provincial roads, where helmet use was also required, but enforcement is weak, the wearing rate was almost 40%. On district, commune, and inner city roads, the overall rates were 24, 13, and nearly 10%, respectively.

Implication for prevention
Currently, in Vietnam, legislation for helmet use applies only on certain roads. On these roads, there is enforcement and fines for non-use. In the absence of legislation and enforcement, fewer motorcyclists wear helmets. In fact, wearing rates in the inner city is one-fifth of that on the national roads. The authors of this study recommend that Vietnam adopts a consistent population-based policy on helmet use by motorcycle riders. Until that policy is adopted, they say, it is unlikely that major reductions in serious head injury will be observed.

References: Hung DV, Stevenson MR, Ivers RQ. Prevalence of helmet use among motorcycle riders in Vietnam. Inj Prev 2006;12:409-413.

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