A workshop has been held in Hanoi to promote dissemination work on legalregulations relating to the use of electric motorcycles and bikes toensure safety for riders.

The August 26 workshop saw theparticipation of representatives from the Ministry of Transport, theNational Traffic Safety Committee and the World Health Organisation(WHO).

Participants put forward proposals for improving the legalframework on electric two-wheel vehicles, including registration andquality control. They pushed for further helmet safety awareness raisingand campaigns warning against listening to music or using mobile phoneswhilst driving.

Khuat Viet Hung, Vice Chairmanof the National Traffic Safety Committee, said that there have been anumber of electric scooters and bikes of unknown origin and of lowquality. Many of them have been reported to be involved in numerousserious traffic accidents, he added.

Arepresentative from the Road and Railway Traffic Police Departmentstated that many people are often unsure what kinds of electric vehiclesrequire registration and called for a clearer classification andregistration procedure.

Statistics for theperiod from 2009 to May 30, 2014 showed that 1,564 electric scooters and59,765 electric bicycles were imported into Vietnam. However, millionsof bikes are estimated to have been brought into the country withoutlegal registration paperwork.-VNA