French newspaper warns of motorbike "disaster" in Southeast Asia

The French newspaper "Le Courrier International" mentioned the traffic safety situation in Southeast Asia when quoting the article "Motorcycles, a disaster for public health" by the newspaper "Internazionale", published in Rome (Italy). Accordingly, the social and economic cost of two-wheeled motorcycle accidents is huge.

Traffic violations are common during the traditional Lunar New Year in Vietnam.

The author of the article reflects the first reality in most Southeast Asian countries: driving motorbikes without a license. According to recent assessments by the World Bank, traffic accidents cause 2-3.5% of the annual GDP of Southeast Asian countries due to deaths, long-term disabilities, costs to the health system and material compensation.

In Southeast Asian countries, where the majority of the population lives below the poverty line, a motorbike is a way to find a better job, albeit further away, and to live in a better neighborhood. In Thailand, there are two motorbikes for every car, in Myanmar and Indonesia, there are seven or eight, and in Vietnam, the ratio is 57 motorbikes for every car. In Bangkok, people use motorbikes as a way to avoid traffic jams, while in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, they are the main means of transportation.

Helmets are mandatory on the roads. But the law is poorly enforced and sometimes ridiculed. In a province outside the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, only about 24 percent of motorcyclists wear helmets. In Vietnam, the article cites a recent study that found 80 percent of motorcycle helmets do not meet minimum safety standards.

According to Vietnam+