Helmets and "public opinion storm"

After the Government press conference in early July, the public breathed a sigh of relief when Minister and Head of the Government Office Nguyen Van Nen officially affirmed the policy of not fining traffic participants wearing fake or counterfeit helmets. But before that, the press reported that the penalty for traffic participants wearing fake or counterfeit helmets would be the same as not wearing a helmet, starting from July 1. What happened?

Hanoi traffic police propagate and remind people to wear substandard helmets.

Ambiguous meaning

Minister and Head of the Government Office Nguyen Van Nen emphasized that: “The Government has discussed and agreed to inform people to rest assured that, according to Article 8 (Decree 171/2013) on penalties for drivers wearing helmets, there are two violations: The first is not wearing a helmet, the second is wearing a helmet without fastening the strap. Of course, we also want to fully protect people's lives and health. But under these conditions, we will only penalize the above two cases.”

According to the Government Spokesperson, the issue of fake helmets is the responsibility of the authorities to inspect, manage and handle, and people cannot be forced to shoulder that responsibility. Minister Nguyen Van Nen asked the press to clearly inform the regulations so that people can understand, and said that the information recently has been inaccurate, making people feel insecure.

However, the National Traffic Safety Committee in its plan released in mid-April 2014 "forced" the press and public opinion to understand that from July 1, 2014, the act of wearing a fake helmet will be punished the same as not wearing one. The purpose and requirements of Plan 69/KH-UBATGTQG signed by Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang - Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee clearly stated: "Control and strictly handle traffic participants using motorbikes, mopeds, and bicycles without helmets; wearing helmets that are not helmets".

The roadmap of this plan also shows that from June 15, traffic police will stop vehicles to propagate and remind people wearing helmets that are not helmets. From July 1, they will stop vehicles, impose fines according to Decree 171/2013/ND-CP, and collect and destroy helmets that are not helmets. The plan also provides instructions on how to identify helmets that are not helmets: "helmets that do not have 3 layers (helmet shell, internal shock-absorbing padding and helmet strap); do not label helmets for motorcyclists; do not have the CR conformity mark".

The plan and content are very clear, so the press and public opinion have understood that the colorful, thin “plastic baseball caps” that people wear all over the streets, sold all over the streets, are of course fake helmets, not helmets. And if they are not these “plastic baseball caps”, who knows what kind of helmets the National Traffic Safety Committee wants to punish people and destroy?

A failed attempt?

Speaking to the press, Minister Nguyen Van Nen stated that the existence of poor quality helmets on the market is not the fault of consumers, and that wearing fake helmets is not considered an act of not wearing a helmet and is punished. According to Minister Nguyen Van Nen, fining people who wear fake helmets is only dealing with the tip of the iceberg, while the root of the problem lies with those who manufacture, trade, and sell the products to the market. However, this point of view has been mentioned for several years now. Many readers believe that the management agency is "kicking the ball" of responsibility onto the consumer.

And in Plan 69 of the National Traffic Safety Committee, the handling of violations in the production, trading and sale of fake helmets and helmets that are not helmets for motorcyclists is also carefully outlined. These are the types of products "helmets with the same appearance as helmets but without the conformity mark, without quality standards announced, violating product labels; types of helmets that are counterfeit, imitating the designs of motorcycle helmet brands that meet quality standards".

These data show that the management agencies have secretly moved to deal with fake helmets like “plastic baseball caps” by “attacking” both consumers and those who produce and trade this type of helmet - which only helps people look good and intentionally wear it to deal with traffic police when going out. However, that plan and effort failed due to too much pressure from public opinion and regulations that go beyond Decree 171 of the Government, despite the fact that the majority of people, just by feeling, can understand that these colorful, thin helmets do not have much protection when they have an accident but still deliberately buy and use them.

It seems that the National Traffic Safety Committee wants to eliminate non-helmets but has not overcome the "storm of public opinion"?

According to giadinh.net