VNS, (25-01-2008)
Despite a dip in the number of crashes last year, more road users died.
People on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street of HCM City’s District 3 wear helmet to protect themselves from road accidents. — VNA/VNS Photo Van Khanh
Ha Noi — Viet Nam had 411 more people die from traffic accidents in 2007 than in the previous year, despite a decrease in the number of accidents by 77, a conference was told yesterday.
The meeting to review traffic safety enforcement nation-wide heard that a total of 13,150 people had died and more than 10,000 were injured in road, railway and waterway accidents across the country in 2007. Among deaths caused by accidents, traffic accidents prove to be the country’s most deadly.
More than 96 per cent of accidental deaths were caused by road accidents, and HCM City and Ha Noi were the two most dangerous places for commuters.
Transport Minister Ho Nghia Dung held accountable State management agencies for making traffic accidents and jams increasingly uncontrollable in big cities.
He said many local governments and agencies either stepped aside or were indifferent about the situation, assuming it was the responsibility of transport officials and the police force to take care of traffic issues.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, in his address to the meeting, asked that ministries and local administrations apply stricter punishment to violations of safety rules as an effective measure to deal with the issue.
The Prime Minister said State traffic management tools must conform to the current situation and any outdated decrees and legal documents should be adjusted to fit current needs.
He asked that concerted efforts be made to immediately overcome traffic "black spots" to minimise accidents.
PM Dung said that holding a safety enforcement meeting right before Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays with all 64 city and provincial leaders attending showed Vietnamese their determination to control rampant traffic accidents across the country.
He said resolute management and enforcement in every sector can bring about effectiveness, and the transport sector was no exception.
He also called for more communication with people on traffic rules for this year and that local administrations be firm in getting unqualified vehicles off the road. Self-modified vehicles, in particular, should definitely be taken out of traffic if they did not meet safety requirements, he said. — VNS
