Hell On Wheels

Fatality Rate From Accidents Tripled Over A Decade

(AP)  Riding on two wheels in Vietnam's chaotic traffic is an adventure that too often ends in death or serious injury.

The number of accidents and fatalities has more than tripled over the past decade. People have taken advantage of rising living standards in one of the world's poorest countries to upgrade from bicycles to low-powered motorbikes but riders flout traffic rules and shun helmets.

Hospitals are overwhelmed with cases of head trauma, such as happened after the recent celebrations for the national soccer team's victory over Singapore. Youthful speeders poured into the streets. The result: 60 injuries in Ho Chi Minh City and 12 in Hanoi, mostly for head trauma.

"The government and the National Assembly are very concerned," said Bui Huynh Long of the National Traffic Safety Committee, established three years ago to help cope with the problem.

With police escorting his motorcade, President Clinton will not a first-hand view of the wild streets. But he is promoting a campaign encouraging helmet use, part of a pet project by U.S. Ambassador Pete Peterson.

The U.N. Children's Fund estimates about 50,000 children die each year from traffic accidents, drowning, poisoning, falls, electrocution and other hazards.

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On the first Safe Kids Day on Monday, UNICEF handed out about 1,400 helmets to children at Hanoi's Nguyen Du elementary school.

Getting young people to use them in the heat and humidity has been a challenge. A new law requiring helmets on some major roads appears to have had little impact. Violators get only warnings rom police.

Surviving Vietnam's roads requires a good horn, good brakes - and lots of good luck.

About 95 percent of the traffic is on two wheels, dominated by small motorbikes that are perfect to putt along at under 35 mph and roll up onto the sidewalk to park.

At least a few motorbikes or bicycles run every stoplight. People make left turns from the far right and vice versa. Youths weave dangerously through congestion, missing other vehicles by fractions of an inch. Many motorbikes have no mirrors, a favored target of thieves.

In 1990, 6,110 accidents with 2,268 deaths and 4,956 injuries were reported. Last year, Vietnam reported 21,538 accidents with 7,095 deaths and 21,538 injuries.

The government estimates Vietnam's 78 million people have 6 million motorbikes, with half a million more each year and few taken out of service. The country has about 400,000 cars.