'Family must supervise, can't just give car to child when he/she turns 16'

On February 2, at the seminar "Improving laws on traffic safety and order to contribute to protecting children" organized by the People's Representative Newspaper, Mr. Tran Huu Minh, Chief of Office of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said that children participating in traffic are facing risks that affect their lives and health.

Mr. Tran Huu Minh, Chief of Office of the National Traffic Safety Committee

One is the group that rides bicycles, electric bicycles, electric motorbikes, with a capacity of less than 50 cc. This group faces great risks due to limited knowledge and unskilled skills. Meanwhile, electric motorbikes have a maximum speed of over 40 km/h, traveling independently on mixed traffic. Previously, research by the Vietnam-Germany University showed that over 90% of accidents in children fall into the group that rides by themselves.

The second group is those who are being driven by adults, but if there is no proper equipment or traffic rules, they are also at risk. The management agency needs to pay attention to this issue.

In particular, families must cooperate with the school to monitor their children's journey to school and cannot give them the vehicle until they are 16 years old.

Notably, regarding the issue of children riding motorbikes, Mr. Minh said that many countries prohibit children under 12 years old from riding motorbikes.

"However, in Vietnam this is not possible. Therefore, there needs to be a design for helmets and vehicles, such as belts on motorbikes for safety. Currently, there are no specific helmet standards for children. In Indonesia, they stipulate that motorbikes cannot go more than 20 km/h when carrying children. If we had specific rules, it would be better," Mr. Minh suggested.

Driving a motor vehicle requires a driver's license.

Standing member of the National Assembly's Culture and Education Committee Nguyen Thi Mai Thoa said that many children aged 16-18 use motorbikes under 50 cc, but they do not fully understand traffic safety rules and traffic laws.

Therefore, Ms. Thoa proposed that the draft law stipulate that all traffic participants using motor vehicles must have a driver's license, understand traffic laws and traffic safety rules.

Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Ngoc Khiem, Chairman of the Council of the University of Transport Technology, said that besides children having limited knowledge and skills, there are still some adults who do not really comply with regulations when transporting children.

Children's understanding of traffic safety is not much, so they do not comply properly, and they still violate traffic rules, such as walking in a row, going the wrong way, running red lights... In addition, some adults are careless, such as letting children stand in front of the saddle, not wearing helmets for children. In particular, the infrastructure is inadequate when there is no dedicated lane for bicycles.

Sharing the same view, Associate Professor Dr. Pham Viet Cuong, University of Public Health , also said that in many countries, it is forbidden for children under 3 years old to sit on motorbikes. To ensure the safety of children, many parents use belts or seats, but this is only a spontaneous behavior and there are no regulations. India stipulates that children under 4 years old must use seat belts or the person driving the motorbike must not go more than a certain number of kilometers per hour.

"Currently, the number of motorbikes nationwide is more than 60 million, and in 10-20 years, this proportion will still be high. Therefore, it is necessary to add regulations to ensure safety for children when riding motorbikes," said Mr. Cuong.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/gia-dinh-phai-giam-sat-khong-the-cu-giao-xe-khi-con-du-16-tuoi-185240202174707164.htm