Millions of disabled people are being forced to violate traffic rules because the officials are unable to provide them with driving licences, according to Vu Manh Hung, chairman of the Association of Disabled People of Hanoi.
Crippled at an early age by polio, movement has always been a challenge for Hung. For years, he has had to rely on "xe om" (motorcycle taxis) and taxis for travel. Since being appointed chairman of the association, his wages have proved insufficient to sustain these forms of transportation. Hung has thus decided to use a three-wheel scooter to go to work.
"Using a scooter without a licence is illegal; but policemen have come to learn about disabled people's inability to obtain a licence," he said.
"They will hand out tickets for specific offences such as excessive cargo, but will not penalise us for a lack of licence."
There are 5.3 million disabled Vietnamese people, accounting for 6 per cent of the entire nation's population. Hung said that the issuing of licences was crucial to the inclusion of disabled people and would boost their confidence in contributing to the community.
Another executive member of the association, vice chairwoman Duong Thi Van, had one leg amputated after a motorcycle accident. She opted for the bus but soon learned that it was not as safe as she thought. Without proper technology to assist passengers getting on and off the buses, Van found the experience too difficult. Van's negative experience with buses prompted her to take to using a motorcycle again.
In order to be eligible for a licence test, disabled people need to have a valid health certificate. However, the Ministry of Health has been unable to finish its Handbook of Criteria for Disabled Users of Motorised Vehicles for over two years. As a result, the Ministry of Transport cannot complete the rules for their driving tests.
A member of the Ministry of Transport's Research Centre said the ministry had selected Quoc Tu Giam and Long Bien as the test sites for disabled people since 2008. "Dozens of disabled people have applied for their tests, but we have to keep them waiting until the official papers are finalised," he said.
Nguyen Van Quyen, deputy director of the Department of Road Transport, said the authorities were supportive of the issuing of driving licences for disabled people. However, he explained that the issuing of a licence depended on each individual's level of disability, as well as the types of vehicles that he or she could drive.
"These rules could all be established by the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Transport has repeatedly requested the Ministry of Health to finalise their Handbook of Criteria for Disabled Users of Motorised Vehicles, but so far there has been no progress," Quyen said.
He also said that since no licence was required for motorised scooters under 50cc, disabled people were encouraged to use these vehicles while the health criteria had not yet been finalised./.
Crippled at an early age by polio, movement has always been a challenge for Hung. For years, he has had to rely on "xe om" (motorcycle taxis) and taxis for travel. Since being appointed chairman of the association, his wages have proved insufficient to sustain these forms of transportation. Hung has thus decided to use a three-wheel scooter to go to work.
"Using a scooter without a licence is illegal; but policemen have come to learn about disabled people's inability to obtain a licence," he said.
"They will hand out tickets for specific offences such as excessive cargo, but will not penalise us for a lack of licence."
There are 5.3 million disabled Vietnamese people, accounting for 6 per cent of the entire nation's population. Hung said that the issuing of licences was crucial to the inclusion of disabled people and would boost their confidence in contributing to the community.
Another executive member of the association, vice chairwoman Duong Thi Van, had one leg amputated after a motorcycle accident. She opted for the bus but soon learned that it was not as safe as she thought. Without proper technology to assist passengers getting on and off the buses, Van found the experience too difficult. Van's negative experience with buses prompted her to take to using a motorcycle again.
In order to be eligible for a licence test, disabled people need to have a valid health certificate. However, the Ministry of Health has been unable to finish its Handbook of Criteria for Disabled Users of Motorised Vehicles for over two years. As a result, the Ministry of Transport cannot complete the rules for their driving tests.
A member of the Ministry of Transport's Research Centre said the ministry had selected Quoc Tu Giam and Long Bien as the test sites for disabled people since 2008. "Dozens of disabled people have applied for their tests, but we have to keep them waiting until the official papers are finalised," he said.
Nguyen Van Quyen, deputy director of the Department of Road Transport, said the authorities were supportive of the issuing of driving licences for disabled people. However, he explained that the issuing of a licence depended on each individual's level of disability, as well as the types of vehicles that he or she could drive.
"These rules could all be established by the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Transport has repeatedly requested the Ministry of Health to finalise their Handbook of Criteria for Disabled Users of Motorised Vehicles, but so far there has been no progress," Quyen said.
He also said that since no licence was required for motorised scooters under 50cc, disabled people were encouraged to use these vehicles while the health criteria had not yet been finalised./.
