"Put a hat on your child, full parental love"

(Baonghean) - Starting from April 10, the regulation requiring children to wear helmets when riding motorbikes and electric bicycles officially takes effect. In order to effectively implement this regulation, the Department of Education and Training has issued a plan to strengthen the implementation of the regulation requiring children to wear helmets to educational units in the province, the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee and forces such as the traffic police to conduct widespread propaganda...

Implementing the direction of the Ministry of Education and Training on strengthening the implementation of the regulation requiring students to wear helmets in 2015. On March 16, 2015, the Department of Education and Training has made a plan with specific actions. Starting from March 20, all educational institutions in the province will start a campaign to propagate and educate students to wear helmets and strengthen the inspection of helmet wearing for students; Organize a commitment with parents to wear helmets for their children when riding motorbikes, scooters and electric 2-wheel vehicles; commit not to give motorbikes and scooters to students who are not old enough or do not have a driver's license to drive in traffic...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen, Hung Loc commune (Vinh city) puts a helmet on her son before taking him to school.

Currently, educational institutions in the province are ready to propagate the message of wearing helmets among students. Teacher Tran Van Phuong, Principal of Ha Huy Tap 2 Primary School (Vinh City) said that as a school located in the city center, most of the school's 1,420 students are picked up and dropped off by their parents every day. Therefore, for a long time, the school has required parents to wear helmets for their children if they ride motorbikes to pick them up and drop them off. At the beginning of the year, the school coordinated with a motorbike trading company to distribute helmets to students. In the middle of the school year, the school's Board of Directors, together with the Ha Huy Tap Ward Police, organized propaganda on wearing helmets for students, competitions on wearing helmets properly, and organized for parents and homeroom teachers to sign a commitment to wear helmets for students when riding motorbikes.

In addition, the school's Red Flag Team will also monitor the helmet wearing of students. If any student is found riding on their parents' motorbike without a helmet, the Red Flag Team will record it in their diary to deduct points from their competition points... "Currently, 100% of the school's students wear helmets when riding their parents' motorbikes to school. We hope that the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training will be strictly implemented nationwide to not only contribute to reducing traffic accidents but also build good habits for students," teacher Tran Van Phuong affirmed.

According to our research, most primary and secondary schools in Vinh City have now implemented the regulation of wearing helmets when riding motorbikes and electric bicycles. However, there are still a number of high school students who have not complied with the regulation of wearing helmets. At rush hour, walking around main roads such as Le Hong Phong, Phan Boi Chau, Phong Dinh Cang, the image of students riding electric bicycles in pairs or rows of three without wearing helmets is still very common. In rural and mountainous areas, it is very common for students not to wear helmets when riding their parents' motorbikes or when riding electric bicycles or motorbikes to school. While primary, secondary and high schools in the city have long enjoyed many programs related to helmet wearing and free helmet distribution, schools in mountainous areas have rarely enjoyed these programs. Teacher Ho Thi Thao, Quy Chau Ethnic Minority High School, said that the school has 1,200 students and only about 20 students ride electric bikes to school, but they do not wear helmets regularly. Only on days when the school's Youth Union conducts strict inspections will they wear helmets.

Students do not wear helmets when participating in traffic (photo taken on Phong Dinh Cang street, Vinh city).

Currently, not only educational institutions are entering the peak period of propaganda on helmet wearing regulations, but parents are also closely following the new regulations of the authorities. Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen, Hoa Tien hamlet, Hung Loc commune (Vinh city) said that her family has 2 sons, the older one is in grade 3, Hung Loc Primary School, the younger one is in kindergarten. For a long time, she has only put a helmet on her older son when taking him to school, but not on her younger son. After hearing the information that helmet wearing is mandatory, on the morning of March 18, she bought a new helmet for her younger son to wear when going to school. According to her, the regulation requiring students to wear helmets when riding motorbikes and electric bicycles is completely correct. "We parents all want our children to be safe and implementing the regulation is not difficult," Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen affirmed.

Not only the Education sector, but also the authorities of Nghe An province are now involved in promoting the new regulations. The Provincial Traffic Safety Committee said that with the messages: "Wear helmets for children, complete parental love", "Children must wear helmets when riding motorbikes, electric bicycles" and "Remember what the teacher said: Wear helmets when riding motorbikes, electric bicycles", from April 6 to 9, 2015, the traffic police force, district and commune police will organize a peak week of patrolling and controlling, both promoting and reminding and handling violations of the regulations on compulsory helmet wearing for children. The authorities will also check, remind and evaluate the implementation of regulations on helmet wearing by students at schools; organize criticism of teachers, school staff and students who violate regulations on helmet wearing.

On April 10, the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee will coordinate with relevant forces to organize a "Peak Day" to patrol, control, and handle violations of regulations requiring children to wear helmets. After that, continue to maintain the plan to patrol, control, and handle violations of road traffic safety order. "Implementing regulations on wearing helmets for students when riding motorbikes and electric bicycles not only contributes to limiting the consequences of traffic accidents but also builds traffic culture, contributing to forming awareness of law compliance for students. This is not only the responsibility of the students themselves but also of their families, schools, and the whole society," affirmed Mr. Vo Minh Duc - Chief of Office of the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee.

Nguyen Khoa