Motorbike fires stir up public concern
>> Producers to review safety after motorbikes catch fire 
Motobike fire on Chuong Duong Bridge
According to the Hanoi Fire Prevention
Department, between December 1, 2010, and November 30 this year, there
were 40 incidents of vehicle fires in Hanoi, including 11 motorbikes. In
seven of these cases, motorbike owners simply left the site, leaving
people and fire department to deal with the situation.A Honda’s SH motorbike burst into flames at the crossroads of Kim Ma, Lieu Giai and Nguyen Chi Thanh streets after crashing into a car, causing a one-hour traffic jam at midday on December 12. There were no injuries.
In the end only the metal frame of the VND100 million (nearly USD4,700) motorbike remained. The fire lasted ten minutes, during which time the owner fled the scene.
On December 9, a Honda Air Blade caught fire while driving in Hanoi on Nguyen Trai Street. The driver also escaped injury.
On December 14, an Attila Elizabeth of SYM suddenly caught fire on Cao Thang Street, Thanh Hoa Province. Luckily, the fire was quickly put out. The owner said she bought the motorbike in 2007. According to her, she saw smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle, She said that flames appeared when it was being parked in front of her hair dresser.
Colonel To Xuan Thieu, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Fire Prevention Department, said, “It is difficult to find the cause of these fires because the debris left is often not enough to find the source. Also, there has been a lack of cooperation by owners of these vehicles. Most of these cases involve older motorbikes that have had previous owners. For this reason, it takes time to track down the actual drivers. We still have to uncover the reasons for these incidents to determine whether there was any criminal activity involved.”
Vuong Ngoc Tuan, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Standards and Consumers Association, showed concern about the issue and stressed the importance of regular maintenance. He added that although there have been a lot of these types of accidents recently, only one owner has stepped forward and asked for help from the association. The accident in question occurred in Bac Ninh Province on December 1 and killed a woman who was three-months pregnant along with her four-year old daughter.
Problem with motorbike production?
According to Do Huu Duc, Deputy Head of the Vietnam Register, the Ministry of Transport will conduct regular inspections of motorbike assembly plants in Vietnam.
To date, only Honda has given comment on the issue. They said that, despite adding additional safety checks, they have yet to detect any technical problems in the manufacturing process.
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