Compared to the same period last year,traffic accident numbers fell by 2.89 percent but fatalities rose 1.66 percent.
Among 27 localities posting more fatalities,14 saw a rise of more than 40 percent while Ca Mau, Tay Ninh and Cao Bang provincesregistered 150 percent or more extra deaths.
Chairing the event, Deputy Prime MinisterTruong Hoa Binh, also Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said trafficrule violations are rising, especially on highways and rural areas, and managementin the field remains poor.
Vice Chairman of the Hanoi municipalPeople’s Committee Nguyen Quoc Hung said the city’s Transport Department willconsider a plan to adjust inter-provincial transport routes via Hanoi to easetraffic congestion.
Deputy Director of the Ministry of PublicSecurity’s Traffic Police Department Nguyen Ngoc Tuan suggested that theTransport Ministry should build a traffic supervision system and allocate landto build medical and search and rescue stations on highways.
He asked the Directorate of Roads of Vietnamand localities to pilot several bus stops on Hanoi – Ninh Binh, Hanoi - BacGiang and Hanoi – Lao Cai highways to meet travel demand.
Concluding the event, Binh requested theNational Traffic Safety Committee to issue and follow a plan to deal withviolations regarding drink driving this year and Prime Minister Nguyen XuanPhuc’s Directive on getting more motorbike riders to wear helmets.
To gradually ease traffic congestion inHanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the Deputy PM underscored the need to ban thebuilding of high-rise houses in downtown areas, build overpasses and tunnels,develop satellite urban areas and rearrange the working population.
He proposed installing smart technology todirect traffic and building traffic control centres for public safety andorder.
The Ministry of Public Security was asked towork with the transport sector to devise traffic direction plans in Hanoi, HoChi Minh City and adjacent areas, increase search and rescue rehearsals andtraining on roads, railways and domestic waterways.
The Transport Ministry was directed to supplementregulations on the safety of vehicles, especially automobiles used fortransportation business.
Agencies were told to open stations toinspect the weight of vehicles and toll collection stations, especially onNational Highway No.1 and areas near Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, build softwareand applications to oversee drivers.-VNA