Substandard
motorbike helmets are being produced in HCM City under the guise of sports
headgear to get around new laws on motorbike helmets, the municipal Market
Watch Division has said.
However, ministries are aware that sports helmet
makers have created a loophole in the regulation and are understood to have
turned their attention to sports helmet makers and retailers.
The new sports helmets were being produced in three
layers, as required under regulations due to come into force soon, said Ly Ngoc
Thang, an officer of HCM City Market Watch Division. But they were being made
of flimsy plastic and other substandard materials.
But because they were branded "sports
helmets" they were not covered by any law. It was not illegal to make and
sell them so authorities had no right to seize them, the officer said.
They were designed to look exactly like the new
legal motorbike helmets and were being sold, bought and worn as motorcycle
helmets.
They were being sold at half the price of
regulation helmets.
Nguyen Dong Ha, a helmet seller on Tan Binh
District's Truong Chinh Street. said the previous two-layer helmets and
hat-shaped helmets were no longer popular because customers were aware of the
prending regulation changes.
Nguyen Hoang Linh, deputy head of the
Standardisation Department under the Directorate of Standards, Metrology and
Quality, said the new regulation was jointly drafted by the ministries of
Science and Technology, Industry and Trade, Transport, and Public Security to
get rid of unsafe one or two-layer helmets and hat-shaped helmets which were as
flimsy as eggshells.
The regulation required manufacturers to be licensed
and authorities to check their production. If they failed to meet requirements,
they could be shut down or brought to the court.
Traders must also have a licence and have contracts
with manufacturers and importers to enable authorities to trace the origins of
the helmets they sell, and conformity to regulations.
Motorcyclists wearing anything except authorised
helmets with three layers would face fines of up to VND200,000 (US$10).
Thang said people bought the cheapest version
because they saw helmets not as protection but as a way to avoid punishment.
Linh said the issue of sports helmet issue would be
considered before the ministries officially released a circular on the new
regulations.
He added that motorcyclists were subject to fines
mainly to raise their awareness about using proper helmets to protect
themselves.
The new regulation was aimed at cutting back on the
12,000 road deaths in Viet Nam each year, he said.
VNS
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