Notes on my post-Christmas Commute

The other day I was talking with a friend about the new helmet law in Vietnam. Although really, the new law is not so worthy a topic. Somewhat higher on the worthiness scale would be the concept of actual enforcement of the law. I'm told that something like 3000 new police were hired specifically to enforce the helmet law. Or perhaps they just hired 3000 old police and provided extra motivation for doing the stuff that police do. But what really happened, that is worth talking about, is that for two whole weeks now the vast majority of people here have been wearing helmets. I would suggest that the law, and even the level of enforcement, have less to do with that change in people's habits than the PR campaign making helmet use, and traffic safety in general, sort of a national fad. After having effectively given up on enforcing a similar law a couple of years ago, I'd say that the apex of Vietnam pc institutions, the propaganda department, has two solid weeks of success on this one! Anyway, we were talking about whether there are any standards regarding exactly how helmet-like the thing on your head has to be in order to pass muster, i.e. the guys with construction hard hats or green army helmets or, say, a sweat-encrusted baseball cap on backwards, do those get you out of a ticket? My best solution was to have the police give any random passing headgear a good wack with their night-stick - if you fall over then you get a ticket, if you keep going then you're home free. After that conversation, I still burst out laughing tonight, in a 5:30 ribs-to-elbows traffic free-for-all, when a policeman who was dutifully blowing away on his whistle to stop traffic one direction and make way for the other direction, upon being completely ignored by one driver, promptly did just that - skillfully administered a good wack on the helmet. After laughing (and checking that my own helmet was well fastened, and making sure I was in the middle of the herd of traffic going my direction - out of reach of any unprovoked wacks) I proceeded thru the intersection with great holiday cheer and best wishes for my favorite cop who is doing his job.