The four ministries which jointly issued a circular on imposing fines on substandard helmet wearers have agreed to halt its implementation which was previously scheduled to take effect from April 15.

A transport police officer is explaining about substandard helmet for a driver. Photo by Tuoi Tre

According to the circular issued by the Ministries of Sciences and Technology, Industry and Trade, Public Security and Transport, helmets must meet ten criteria such as having CR (conformity to regulation) stamps and of actual use in reducing head-related injuries. A standard helmet must have three parts: a cover, buffer padding that absorbs shock and vibrations, and a chin strap. Any person caught wearing a substandard helmet would be fined VND100,000-200,000.

The Ministry of Justice said due to lax management over the production, import and trading of helmets, many kinds of helmets which imitate genuine products are widely sold in the market. It is not easy for people to distinguish between these, even by the traffic police. Therefore, the regulation has been regarded as unrealistic.

Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, head of the Justice Ministry’s Criminal and Administrative Department, said traffic participants would find it difficult to differentiate between genuine and fake helmets, while not all expensive helmets were necessarily that high quality.

Regarding CR (conformity to regulation) stamps for helmets, Nguyen Van Quyen, deputy head of the Road General Department, said that before a regulation on these stamps was issued, tens of millions of helmets without a stamp had been used, and were still in use. “So how will concerned agencies deal with such helmets when this regulation takes effect next month?”

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang proposed that instead of fining motorbike users, concerned agencies should crack down on manufacturers and sellers of helmets to detect substandard or unsafe products and fine them.

The ministries will consider the circular for revision following the recent public revision.