The traffic situation was improved in 2016 but many problems remain (Photo: VNA)Da Nang (VNA) – Traffic safety was improved in2016 with decreases in all the numbers of accidents, deaths and injuries, itwas reported at a national conference of traffic police in Da Nang city onDecember 30.
There were 21,568 traffic accidents nationwidethis year, killing 8,680 and injuring 19,280 others. Those figures respectivelydeclined by 1,259, 47 and 1,789 from 2015, Deputy Minister of Public SecurityNguyen Van Son said.
However, the falling trend is unsustainable andtraffic accident losses are still big. Congestion in crowded urban areas andkey national roads remains a big problem threatening traffic order and safety,especially in big cities.
He blamed the congestion on the rapid increasein the number of traffic vehicles that surpass the capacity of transportinfrastructure. The growing population density in some cities like Hanoi and HoChi Minh City as a result of unbalanced urban development and irrationaldemographic policies, is another important factor.
Poor observance of traffic rules among commutersand the prolonged construction of transport facilities are also to blame forthe congestion, the official said, noting that 41 traffic jams that lasted formore than 1 hour were reported nationwide in 2016, most of them occurred inHanoi and HCM City.
The Deputy Minister asked the traffic policeforce to launch more campaigns promoting traffic safety and social order, intensifypatrols and strictly deal with traffic rule violations in 2017. He alsoreminded the force of the task to ensure absolute safety for importantpolitical events, especially Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forumevents during next year.-VNA
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