Vietnam requires children to wear helmets

Vietnam has closed a legal loophole that exempts children from wearing motorcycle helmets when they ride with their parents, state media reported Saturday. Under a revised Transport Law that will take effect July 1, adults transporting children under age of 16 without a helmet will be fined up to 200,000 dong ($11), the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper said. Currently, children under 16 or the adults responsible for them cannot be penalized if youngsters riding as passengers do not wear a helmet. The World Health Organization has urged the Vietnamese government to amend the law to include penalties.