VietNamNet Bridge – The improper and spontaneous hooting of many car drivers annoys millions of people in traffic and urban dwellers. Vietnamese people now have to live together with the serious noise pollution.

One month ago, a representative of Ford Vietnam, an automobile manufacturer, in the conversation with reporters, revealed that he was preparing for the “no horn” campaign to be launched in Vietnam.

The improper and spontaneous hooting of many car drivers annoys millions of people in traffic and urban dwellers. Car and motorbike drivers would work their car hooter any time they want: when they enter residential quarters, when the green light turns on, or simply because they feel excited.

Thanh Nien newspaper some months ago quoted a resident in HCM City as complaining that the car horns make her suffer the chronic insomnia. “You can hear the sounds from the big horns on the big roads of the city, such as Dien Bien Phu, Cach Mang Thang Tam or Ba Thang Hai. The horns get more terrible when the green light turns on after the red light,” she said.

The same newspaper cited a report by Dr Nguyen Dinh Tuan, President of the HCM City Junior College for Natural Resources and the Environment, said that the noise measured at 150 monitoring stations located on 30 roads in HCM City far exceeded the allowed level. Especially, the noise was still big in non-rush hours, from 10 pm to 6 am.

In the years before 2008, the noise increase in HCM City was just 0.20.4 dBA per annum. Meanwhile, in 2009 alone, the noise increase was equal to that of the 14 previous years combined.

Tuan also pointed out that of the three noise sources – industrial production, transport and construction, traffic activities are the biggest culprit.

Phu nu Thanh pho Ho Chi Minh cited a scientific research which pointed out that if someone exposes to high intensity sound at over 75dB in the long run, he would suffer from irreversible hearing loss, feel fatigue, stressful which may indirectly cause cardiovascular, gastrointestinal diseases.

Noise pollution not only causes long term consequences and influences the people’s lives, but it also causes social problems. A two year old girl in HCM City in mid 2010 died just because of the car horn. As the vehicle hooted, the mother, who was driving a motorbike, got startled because of the large volume horn, stopped the motorbike and fell onto the ground. As a result, the child sitting behind the mother also fell and was run over and killed by the vehicle itself.

Analysts have said that though the regulations on using horns are stipulated in the current laws, car drivers regularly ignore the laws. They apply no regulation or rule when driving cars.

In April 2010, the government promulgated the Decree No. 34, imposing higher fines on the behaviors of violating the regulations on traffic safety. One year later, the government issued the Decree 33, raising the fines on the vehicle drivers who use excessive volume horns.

On June 21, 2010, the Ministry of Transport sent a dispatch to the Ministry of Public Security, requesting to strengthen the control and punishment on the car drivers, violating the regulations relating to the use of vehicle horns.

However, the legal documents have not helped much. To date, no case of punishment for misuse of horns has been reported. Thoi bao Kinh te Vietnam has reported that a coach driver was seen hooting amid the quietness of a policeman who was staying nearby.

C. V