Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh speaks at the conference reviewing the status of traffic accidents in the second quarter on July 5 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The number oftraffic accident cases, deaths, and injuries declined in the first half of2018, but the problem remains complex and the drops still fall short ofexpectations, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh said on July 5.
According to the National Traffic Safety Committee, from December 16, 2017 toJune 15, 2018, nearly 9,000 traffic accidents were recorded nationwide, killing4,103 people and injuring 7,027 others, each figure down year-on-year. Ofthese, 8,889 accidents were on roads, 62 others on railways, and 40 on inlandwaterways.
At the national teleconference reviewing the status of traffic accidents in thesecond quarter, Deputy PM Binh commended 35 provinces and cities for theirreductions in the number of traffic deaths.
However, the figure hiked in 26 localities, particularly in the provinces ofHai Duong, Bac Giang, Tay Ninh, and Ca Mau where the number of deaths doubledfrom the same period last year.
The national committee said 26 percent of the over 6,800 analysed roadaccidents were caused by citizens driving in the wrong lane. Most of the caseshappened between noon and midnight on national highways and involvingmotorbikes.
Deputy PM Binh said some of the serious accidents over the past six months,especially consecutive railway incidents in late May, have caused substantialhuman losses and to property. Overloaded trucks remain a major cause for transportinfrastructure degradation, he highlighted.
Meanwhile, traffic congestion in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and on the main roadsconnecting the two cities is still unorganised, particularly during holidaysand bad weather, or when accidents have occurred.
He asked the Ministry of Public Security to better coordinate with the Ministryof Transport in ensuring traffic order and safety, especially in sharinginformation about traffic violations and drivers.
He underlined the need to set up a system for exchanging information about thetraffic situation along points of the national highway 1A and expressways tohelp deal with any complicated traffic circumstances. -VNA
VNA
