VietNamNet Bridge – A sleeper-bus in Quang Nam Province killed an 18 year-old woman yesterday (Sept 10) and seriously injured 40 others after hitting a truck, without its warning signal, parked on the side of National Highway 1A.

A sleeper-bus in Quang Nam Province killed an 18 year-old woman yesterday and seriously injured 40 others after hitting a truck -- Photos: VNN

The bus driver, Nguyen Huu Loc, 31, lived but Huynh Thi My Tai's young life was lost immediately upon impact.

Despite the National Traffic Safety Committee's report of a drop in the number of traffic accidents and related casualties this year, yesterday's accident was not a freak occurrence.

On Wednesday, a child died and eight people were injured when a Phuong Trang bus collided with motorbikes on the Cay Go Flyover in HCM City.

The Phuong Trang bus company has now been involved in five road accidents this year.

In April, at a rest stop run by the company, a bus collided with a motorcycle, killing the rider. A month later, a Phuong Trang bus hit an 80-year-old woman in Lam Dong Province. Another incident involved a bus climbing onto the railing of a bridge to avoid a head-on collision with a truck in Can Tho City. No casualties were reported.

From December to August, 14,622 traffic accidents occurred across the country, killing 5,821 people and injuring 13,234 others, the National Traffic Safety Committee said. That means over 24 people die on the nation's roads every day.

Compared to the same period last year, the number of traffic accidents, deaths and injuries are down by 12.5 per cent, 4 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.

On average, road accidents kill about 9,000 people in Viet Nam every year and injure hundreds of thousands, leaving them with permanent scars and disabilities.

While the recent report shows improvement, there are repeat offenders and a risky road-culture that show there is still a long way to go.

VNS/VNN