Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on March 8 issued instruction No 04directing the strengthened supervision of production, trade and use ofmotorbike helmets.

The instruction noted the law that madehelmets compulsory for all motorbike passengers, which took effect in2007, has resulted in significantly limiting the number of causalitiescaused by traffic accidents.

However, the number of people who are not wearing helmets or wearing them in inappropriate ways has showed signs of rising.

Alarge number of fake, poorly-designed and substandard helmets arepresent in the market, and they are blamed for the increasing number ofdeaths and head injuries on the road.

The instructionrequired authorities to bolster work on raising awareness amongmanufacturers and traders on the importance of quality helmets that arein line with all regulations.

The PM also called for strictpunishment of violations related to the production and trade of fakehelmets, while quality helmets must be clearly labeled.

The Ministry of Public Security was urged to step up traffic inspection and hand out fines for violations.

Localities were asked to promptly stamp down on the widespread sale of helmets on the streets or pavements.

The HCM City Market Watch on March 7 began a five-week investigation on the quality of helmets being sold throughout the city.

Twenty-four investigation teams visited shops, vendors, companies and factories that trade all kinds of helmets.

Onthe first day, more than 5,000 fake, low quality and illegally importedhelmets were confiscated. At least 1,100 helmets had been imported fromChina .

The investigation will be conducted until April 15.-VNA