It must be understood that transport in Vietnam still relies heavily on two wheels. Public transport is poor and unsafe and only the wealthy can afford cars. If the family wants to take a trip then the motorbike is by far the most convenient and cost-effective means, and for the vast majority, the only choice. Yes, it can be seen as dangerous, but Vietnam is still a poor country where the standard of living is below that of what we might be used to in 'the west' (or what we were used to, see Greece, UK in a few years).
Upon arrival in South East Asia the sight of children, toddlers and even new born babies on a motorbike is shocking. I'd agree, it's not great, particularly in Saigon's inner center, not least because of the traffic but also the horrible fumes which can't be great for young lungs. But it needs to be understood that most Vietnamese parents are not being reckless and take as many safety measures as possible when travelling with their children. There are those cases you see where there is recklessness, allowing toddlers to stand up on the seat, riding without a helmet, driving too fast - but these are the minority.
There is also the context of the journey to consider. I take my daughter on the motorbike, but only out in Phu My Hung, very rarely on longer journeys. If we need to travel into the city or beyond we'll take a taxi - thankfully, we can afford that. Also, whenever driving with Louisa, I drive with extra caution. Some might say that doesn't make a difference, but I feel it certainly cuts the odds a great deal. I also feel in complete control whilst driving with her around my local streets - I would never take her on Highway 1A with articulated lorries thundering past.
So for those with children considering transport issues I would ask firstly do you have an alternative (car with driver, taking taxis everywhere) and secondly do you feel comfortable driving with your child on your motorbike?
11 comments:
I think it is very stupid, thoughtless and irresponsible for you to take your daughter on your bike.
PMH is dangerous, I have seen lorries plough through the red lights, it is no safer than D1 and it doesn't matter how well you drive when your fellow road users drive just a s bad as in d1 just at a faster speed.
Just a month ago, mid afternoon on a Saturday a drunk guy on his bike went through the lights and hit a family on their bike, not pleasant and the father was actually driving slowly kerbside paying attention...
At least treat her to a helmet that doesn't cost a dollar.
taxis are cheap, there is no excuse to put your child on a bike, she can't make up her mind about how she travels, you are educated and know what's right, your article seems to be trying to pursuede yourself it's ok, it's not and you probably know that yourself.
There is no context that makes the journey safe, it's wrong full stop, you are not a local, you are a western educated expat.
I also take my daughter on my motorbike in Phu My Hung. Never all the way to District 1.
Lorries and drunk drivers going through red lights are just as dangerous for motorbike riders as for pedestrians. Perhaps even more dangerous for pedestrians, with no helmets, no motorbike to take part of the crash, and spending more time on the road when crossing (a motorbike goes through the crossing in a shorter time than a pedestrian).
So I guess the only safe approach is to stay home at all times?
Really sad story about the family getting hit by a drunk driver, but it could have perfectly been pedestrians. And then what?
Urko, in my 7 years here, i have never seen a motorbike hit a pedestrian. I have however seen in excess of 50 serious accidents, been involved in 6 myself, 1 my fault.
Pedestrians are not running along the roads at 50kmh, strange to compare the two, like apples and oranges....
It doesnt matter how safe you think you drive in PMH, you make it sound good that you dont drive to D1, tell me the difference between riding between the two?
In fact i feel PMH to be more dangerous than D1, red lights running from KFC down past SSIS are constantly jumped by cars and the speed the trucks come through is ridiculous.
If it makes you feel better justifying it by saying 'Its PMH, its safe' then great but there is no need to stay at home, whats a taxi from one side of PMH to the other, $2??
I am not sure why you say public transportation in HCMC is unsafe. I can't speak about pubic buses around Phu My Hung, but I like taking the buses in the inner-city districts of HCMC. I now live close enough to my office so I can walk, but before I had a 45-minute motorbike commute. After a couple of months at that, with several near misses, I switched to the public bus and found it to be comfortable most days and certainly a lot safer and easier on the mind.
-- Mel
PMH roads more dangerous than D1? Very odd! 95% of Phu My Hung is deserted back streets!
So the difference between riding the two is that you can go around Phu My Hung, in the evening or on a Sunday, and there is very little traffic, and lots of back streets you can drive to avoid main roads, whereas driving to D1 there is a lot of heavy traffic whichever way you go. The difference is quite obvious to me?
To take up Urko's point, I think he means that going by bike, walking, or in a taxi - you are still at the mercy of other drivers/accidents. Almost all the smashes I have seen on my road and up on Nguyen Van Linh have involved TAXIS...and I feel a lot safer and in control driving my motorbike with my daughter onboard than in the back of a taxi - if you hadn't noticed, some of the drivers are pretty bad!
What Urko also means, person with no name, by staying home all the time - is that this would be the attitude you would have if you are worried about accidents every time you leave the house (be it in a car, motorbike, whatever).
Mel: Agreed, unsafe probably the wrong choice of word...buses around Phu My Hung are good but again impractical for getting from specific point A to point B. Would consider the bus for longer journeys, indeed Chi has used it with Louisa for trips into D1...
I'm surprised you say that the reckless behaviour is from the minority of parents. If it's a minority of parents that allow their child on a motorbike without a helmet, it's only just a minority. And the younger the children are, the less likely they are to be wearing a helmet (so it seems to me, anyway - I might do a count tomorrow).
I cringe every time I see a family on a brand new Honda Airblade, with everyone wearing expensive helmets except the young child. That's hardly a poverty issue. I've heard various stories about why this happens, and I'm not sure how true they are.
And just to answer your response to Urko's point, it's not just a question of how likely an accident is, but how likely you are to get an injury as a result, hence why a taxi is safer (although without a booster seat and seatbelt, hardly ideal for a child either).
@I'm with Stupid
I can confirm that travelling by taxi with a toddler and no baby seat is not safe either!
I think the reason a lot of very young children don't have helmets is because you can't get any that fit properly (unless they have a big head...).
For those who swear that no journey in any context is allowable with a child on a motorbike, I'm just wondering, what you suggest these hundreds of thousands of families do?
Inspired by this discussion, I decided to do a little informal (and very unscientific) survey on the way home from work. I drove home along the busier streets of district 5 (An Duong Vuong and Nguyen Trai mainly), which took about 10 or 15 minutes. In this time I spotted 7 children on motorbikes wearing helmets and 19 children without helmets. And in all but one case, the adults on the bike were all wearing helmets.
@I'm with Stupid
Yes, that's a fair point.
I was sat on CMT8 yesterday for 30 minutes waiting for my bike seat to have a new cover cut, and watched the traffic go by. I wasn't counting but I would say the majority of kids were not wearing helmets, maybe just over half. In my original post I said it was the minority who were reckless...I should rethink my position on that!
Actually this is one of the reasons we decided to leave Vietnam. Any form of transport in Saigon carries a greater degree of risk than travelling by car in Melbourne. Also, public transport in Melbourne is a practical alternative to driving. We're not willing to accept the risk for our 10 month old son.
It's not about recklessness but about unawareness, people are either not informed about the risks or are wrongly informed: A lot of parents still believe that wearing a helmet is harmful because the extra weight could damage the still fragile children's neck bone.
The adults wear helmet not for safety concern but to avoid penalties. That's the reason why they just don't care about the quality of helmets
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