HÀ NỘI: Việt Nam currently lacks regulations on the use of safety equipment for children in cars, Head of the Office of the National Traffic Safety Committee Trần Hữu Minh has said.
He emphasised the urgency of addressing this legal gap by finalising provisions in the ongoing drafts of the Law on Road Traffic and the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety to provide better protection for children.
The Ministry of Public Security is collecting opinions on the draft Law on Road Traffic and Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety Traffic Safety. According to the proposed legislation, children under four years old must be secured in specially designed seats. Additionally, children under 10 years old or those under 135m in height are prohibited from occupying the front seat alongside the driver during road traffic. Furthermore, passenger vehicles with a capacity of up to nine seats must include guidelines for installing child seats and safety belts.
Many serious traffic accidents have occurred due to children not wearing seat belts or not having suitable safety equipment. On July 14, 2023, a five-seated car travelling from Nam Định City to Hợp Hưng Commune collided with a truck at the intersection of Vụ Bản District. At that time, there were four people in the car, including two women and two girls. The collision resulted in the death of the female driver and one child.
