Three Vietnamese Engineers Create Life-Jacket for Motorcyclists

Motorbikes are considered the most popular form of transportation in Vietnam. In fact, half the total population of 93 million Vietnamese reportedly own a motorbike, and yet traffic accidents remain rife on the roads.

According to the Office of the Public Security Ministry and the Vietnam Maritime Administration, traffic accidents in the Southeast Asian country killed 2,788 people and wounded 4,636 in the first four months of the year.

Photo Credits: Vietnam .net

With such gruesome statistics, three young engineers decided to create a protective jacket that can hopefully change things for the better.

One of the engineers, 29-year-old Nguyen Trong Xuyen, said that the project took them one year to complete. Xuyen worked as a designer for Nissan Automobile and had observed that while motorcyclists in certain countries wear protective jackets, the jackets were said to be expensive and bulky.

Working with Xuyen are 26-year-old Nguyen Van Phuong and 32-year-old Nguyen Van Long, both of whom are also engineers and graduates of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

Photo Credits: Vietnam Briefing

According to Vietnam.net, the three engineers had given up jobs at large corporations to work on the protective jacket, spending about VND2 billion in the process.

First introduced via social media in April this year, the protective jacket is ‘activated’ when accidents occur, where the apparel will inflate and serve as a buffer against crashes, thus reducing risk of injuries.

So how does it really work? According to the trio, the jacket is connected to the motorbike with a plastic buckle and zipper. When a collision occurs, air will be pumped into the airbag, thereby inflating it.

The three engineers were also extremely cautious in all aspects of the process, from meticulously selecting materials to testing the product. Technical details were not elaborated on, but despite the protective gear’s low production cost, it is still said to have high quality.

For the future safety of all bikers, we sincerely hope the Vietnamese trio succeeds in their endeavors.