Delegates propose not requiring taxis and technology cars to be equipped with child seats

Delegate Ha Sy Dong - Photo: GIA HAN

On the afternoon of November 17, the National Assembly discussed the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of 10 laws related to security and order.

Should be excluded for taxis and technology ride-hailing services

Speaking about the Law on Road Traffic Safety, delegate Ha Sy Dong ( Quang Tri ) said that the law requires appropriate safety equipment for children, and this regulation applies to all types of cars, including taxis.

This regulation will take effect from January 1, 2026, which is just over a month away. If violated, drivers will be fined from 800,000 to 1 million VND.

He said most developed countries have this regulation and it is determined to bring social benefits. However, in other countries, the rate of car use is very high, almost no motorbikes. While in Vietnam, the rate of motorbike use is high.

If child seat regulations are too rigid, many families may be forced to transport children by motorbike instead of by car or taxi, which would increase the risk of accidents for children.

He cited what happened in Indonesia or the Philippines when child seats were required, the rate of parents taking children to school by motorbike increased by 15-30%.

From there, he suggested considering the experience of many other countries that have exclusions for taxis and technology-based ride-hailing services.

According to regulation 123/2024 of the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction ), child seats have 4 to 5 different sizes depending on the child's weight.

"If taxis are required to be equipped with child seats, each taxi must have at least four seats of different sizes. This is completely impossible.

Taxis cater to tourists and are often combined with other forms of transport such as planes. If parents are required to bring a child seat, it must be carried on board the plane and carried with them for the duration of the trip.

Even if the taxi company requires child seats, it cannot be met when the family has 2 or more children...", Mr. Dong said.

According to Mr. Dong, some poor families or young parents do not have personal cars and will have to call a taxi to take their children for vaccinations, medical treatment when they are sick, or to travel in the cold and rainy weather.

Taxis equipped with child seats are rare, making it more difficult to call, and the time and distance traveled without passengers is longer, so the fare is higher. This cost falls on poor families or young parents.

In addition, the accident rate of taxi is lower than that of private cars due to professional taxi drivers.

It is recommended that alleys where accidents often occur should have lines painted to give way.

Delegate Nguyen Van Canh (Gia Lai) stated that recently the Traffic Police Department (Ministry of Public Security) has painted speed limit signs on the road surface and stop signs on branch roads leading to main roads to help drivers drive at the correct speed and observe better when merging.

Mr. Canh said that currently, vehicles traveling through small alleys are also very crowded, intersections have limited visibility so accidents are very likely to happen, there are many alleys where 4-5 accidents happen every day causing injuries to drivers, damage to vehicles, and damage to houses.

Delegates suggested that in alleys where accidents often occur, if priority signs cannot be placed, give-way lines should be painted to ensure safety.

Signs and yield lines painted on the road surface have the same value as road signs, however the draft law has not yet regulated this, so Mr. Canh proposed to add "painted lines showing road signs".

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dai-bieu-de-xuat-khong-yeu-cau-xe-taxi-xe-o-to-cong-nghe-trang-bi-ghe-ngoi-cho-tre-em-20251117155124023.htm