Hanoians will be the first to admit that they were amazed when the entire country started wearing helmets without incident on December 15th, in compliance with the Helmet Wearing Law. Domestic news programs aired continuous stories on the merits of wearing helmets, posters were hung on lamp posts and the police stood on every corner to enforce the new law on the days leading up to the cross over.
Star News Asia, which is like an "Asian CNN" channel, even broadcast a piece regarding this achievement, adding that the new law hoped to cut down on traffic fatalities in Vietnam. Officially, 13,000 people die every year from traffic accidents in this country. It is known in Southeast Asia as being a very dangrerous place to drive. The government apparently tried to instate this law a few years ago but without success, though it now seems to have stuck for good.
Nevetheless, in a country of 90 million people, some drivers are better than others, and I have witnessed a few cases of road rage during my time here, which I was not expecting to see.
One afternoon, after a lunch at Mediteranneo with Monica, we parted ways to head back to work, taking two seperate motorcycle taxis. My moto driver and I rounded a corner and we stumbled upon a no holds barred road rage fight in the middle of broad daylight.
A guy on his motorbike rammed into a car and words were exchanged between the two drivers. The driver in the car came out and then started punching the guy on the motorbike! The guy on the motorbike fought back, but he got the most of the punches. A crowd then formed and people where trying to pull the two guys apart. Several men and women caught missed punches in the process, which exacerbated the situation further into an all out brawl in the middle of an intersection at a red light. The two guys started bleeding and were finally pulled away from each other when a police officer appeared from nowhere and announced his pressence with a piercing shriek from his whistle like a referee at a hockey game.
The stalled traffic and passersby then dispersed and my motorcycle driver and I were again on our way. He looked over his shoulder at me and shurgged as if to say, "Boys will be boys."
No comments:
Post a Comment