Motorbike taxi drivers in Ha Noi have launched a grass-roots ambulance service to help save some of the nearly 12,000 Vietnamese who die annually in traffic accidents.

Members of the so-called “Safety Fleet” will be outfitted with first aid kits, uniforms and helmets. They are also expected to take courses in safe driving and first aid, said Nguyen Thi Hang Nga, Vice Chairman of the Red Cross Society of Thanh Xuan District.

The programme, launched by Counterpart International, an American non-profit organisation, is designed to expand the capital’s network of first responders and promote safe driving among Ha Noi’s hundreds of motorcycle taxi drivers.

The project is active in the Ha Noi's Tay Ho and Thanh Xuan districts and in the provinces of Da Nang and Khanh Hoa. In the last nine months, members of the team in Thanh Xuan District helped victims of about 40 accidents by performing first aid, taking them to hospital and keeping an eye on their valuables, according to Nguyen Thi Lan, a member of the team. Some city-dwellers have taken on calling the motorbike drivers “knights of the streets.”

According to Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu, manager of the programme, most trainees have a new perspective on road safety. While many used to ignore accidents, they are now willing to help victims in an effort to reduce road casualties.

Two experts from Honda Viet Nam and Yamaha are giving driving lessons to the motorbike taxi drivers, Thu said.

The lessons focus on motorbike maintenance, observation, and avoiding accidents. Trainees will have the chance to learn first aid from members of the Red Cross Society. Police in Tay Ho District have also been invited to teach drivers how to prevent robberies.

Source: VNA