Heavy fines for motorcycle drivers without insurance

Hanoi (VNA) - Drivers who carry out-of-date vehicle insurance will face hefty fines as of the beginning of March.

The fine for motorbike drivers is 100,000 VND (5.88 USD) and car owners 500,000
VND (29.41 USD) for each violation.

One year motorbike insurance is usually worth about 55,000 VND (3.23 USD) and the
cost of car insurance in value-dependent.

When accidents do happen, insurance companies are responsible for co-operating
with the owners of vehicles and the police to collect information to decide on
compensation, said Phung Dac Loc, general secretary of Vietnam Insurance
Association.

For their part, police have to provide insurance firms with enough information,
according to an inter-ministry of Finance and Ministry of Public Security.


The Finance Ministry's Insurance Management Department is responsible for
supervising and inspecting insurance companies to prevent compensation fraud.

A draft helmet law for children is to be laid out on July 1, Minister of Transport
Ho Nghia Dung said on Feb. 26

The minister was speaking at the Child Helmet Wearing Campaign Launch.

The campaign, organised with support from the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation
(AIP) and the National Transportation Safety, aims to boost the number of children
wearing helmets on the road.

The Minister said the law was very important for child safety.

"Stipulations on age, and fines for adults who drive with children who are not
wearing a helmet will be laid out in the revised traffic law from July 1," he
said.

Chairman of the AIP Greig Craft said he was worried as only 15-30 percent of kids
on the road wore helmets. He said quality-controlled helmets did not impede
children's growth.

These measures were to increase traffic safety, but they needed to be accepted by
the public, said Vu Duc Tan, a policeman in Son Tay Town.-Enditem