In an effort to decrease the number of lives lost to traffic accidents each year, the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) is proposing that motorists keep their headlights on at all times – both day and night – while driving.
By NTSC estimates, the move could save up to 600 lives a year, reports DTI.
The suggestion comes after Vietnam's Ministries of Security and Transport revealed that nearly 9,000 people died from traffic accidents in 2015 from traffic accidents in 2015. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc referred to the traffic fatality statistic as “too high for the country to afford”.
In support of the policy, NTSC Vice Chairman Khuat Viet Hung pointed to similar measures in other Southeast Asian nations, such as Thailand and Malaysia, which helped to reduce each country's national accident rate by an average of 25%. Drivers residing within the borders of the European Union are also required to use daytime running lights.
At the moment, the suggestion is merely that – a suggestion – however not everyone is in favor of the move. Bui Danh Lien, chairman of the Hanoi Automobile Association, argues that weather conditions in Vietnam make this an unecessary practice and leads to energy waste.
“Our weather is clear and hot, especially in the central region, so there's no need to turn on lights,” Lien told DTI. “We already have regulations to make motorists turn on their lights when it's foggy.”
The deputy head of the Nghe An province traffic police, Colonel Nguyen Duy Dong, agreed. “In the summer, riders may be blinded by the light and more accidents can occur. This plan needs further studies,” the traffic official told DTI.
