So I'm sitting a Balcony Bar this Friday after a long week at work enjoying a nice drink chatting with a friend watching the Hanoi evening traffic around Hoan Kiem Lake.
Motos, a few bicycles, taxis and the kings of the Viet-road, buses swirl in between each other passing by under me. Business as usual. But then - something is disturbing the somewhat peaceful pace of Hanoi traffic - 2-3 motos with teens chasing each other zig-zaging in and out. Need I say practically no one here wear a helmet? Bumbing into another road user knocking yourself and the other person out of balance creating a potential accident is almost bound to happen. Even though these kids are born and raised on the streets and used to navigating through Hanoi traffic this does not make them over-human when it comes to avoiding accidents.
I know they're teens, trying to empress each other or the girl on the back of the moto, pushing boundries, but they seem more fearless than I remember me and my peers did 10 years ago.
Officially 11.000 people were killed in Vietnam traffic from 1st of January 2006 - 12th of September 2006. That's an average of 66 people a day! Someone told me the real number is around 3 times higher....
Saturday - having coffee with friends I mention this reoccuring incident in Hanoi traffic; teens driving crazier than what is percieved normal in this country. Horrified I listen to one of my friends who has lived in Hanoi for 12 years tell a story of how the Viet-teens challenge their driving abilities and death to the max: At night, in the deserted streets of Hanoi they apparently race against each other. That in itself is in my view nuts, but the story gets worse. In order to prove their dare-devilness they set the breaks out of function.... (bet you're shaking your head now) - the girl sits behind the boy which is normal, but the boy is blindfolded and the girl acts as his eyes! This must be the most stupid thing I've ever heard! Does these kids want to die?
I know I sound like a very old women sitting in my rocking chair pointing my cane at the telly rambling about "kids today", but honestly I don't understand this need for adrenalin when you might end up hurting other people - worst case scenario - taken another persons' life. Rock climbing, sky diving, bungee jumping - be my guest - do what gives you the kick and makes you feel a live, but why I ask do are you willing to risk another persons life as well?
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5 comments:
I agree, it's crazy!
It's a bit nuts, but kids like speed. The States have overblown problems with street racing also.
The funny thing about the traffic in VN is that a US tv show, The Amazing Race, didn't allow its competitors to ride around on motos while in Hanoi, due to safety reasons. You can see a clip in this post:
http://vatovn.blogspot.com/2006/10/
amazing-race-hanoi.html
It seems crazy that the authorities have no way of controlling this kind of behaviour. Do they even have traffic laws? Or is it just a case of no-one controlling the adherence? Something we Scandos wouldn't understand at all :)
Authorities almost encourage crazy behaviour... Almost. And yes, there are traffic laws, but no one seems to obey them. Sometimes when the light is green and us Scando's try to cross the street the policeman will wave at the motos who've actually stopped cause of the red light to go! So the policeman sort of encourages the motos to drive straight at us. It's mad!
thx i used what you said in my report on no teen driving.
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