Motorbikes being used to carry heavy loads are threatening traffic safety in Hanoi.
Two years ago, the authorities issued a ban on unregistered home-made three-wheeled motorbikes as they were often used to carry a large amount of good.
However, those vehicles are still being used despite in smaller number and even regular motorbikes and cyclos are now used to carry oversized goods. This is especially dangerous if the goods are steel beams or metal sheets with sharp edges.
Recent fatal accidents had occurred on September 23 when a 9-year-old boy collided with steel sheets on a parked cyclo. He died at a hospital due to a deep slash wound on his neck. On September 29, a woman was injured by metal sheets after a motorbike crashed into the group waiting for a bus.
Owners of small businesses often choose use their own motorbikes to save transportation fees or hire another motorbike at cheap prices. They are also not worried that their old vehicles will be stolen if left unattended.
Overloaded vehicles are often seen on Giang Vo and La Thanh streets where glass and metal shops gather
The metal beams and sheets are much longer and larger than the vehicles
Pulling out a long steel beam to the street
5 to 6 metre-long steel beams carried by a motorbike
Dangerous threats on the streets
