VietNamNet Bridge – Some 286 people were killed in 598 traffic accidents nationwide during the recent nine-day Tet (Lunar New Year) festival that ran from January 28 to February 5.

Photo: VOV

Also, 626 people were injured in accidents, reported the National Steering Committee for Traffic Safety.

Of note, the number of traffic accidents fell by 60, in comparison to the previous year's New Year festival, with fatalities and serious injuries falling by 50 and 41, respectively.

The police issued 28,900 fine receipts during Tet, collecting VND12.2 billion (US$573,400). Furthermore, nearly 20 cars and 7,500 motorbikes were temporarily seized for violating traffic rules.

Ha Noi recorded a nearly 50 per cent decrease in traffic accidents, fatalities and injuries, in comparison with the previous Tet. The city reported seven traffic accidents during the final three days of the festival, which killed seven people and injured one.

Similarly, southern Binh Duong Province recorded a 54 per cent reduction in the number of fatalities from road accidents this year. Thirty traffic accidents were reported in the province during Tet, which killed five people and injured 40.

Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Vice Chairman of the traffic safety committee said many measures have been implemented to prevent traffic accidents, but there is still a lack of strong action to prevent people driving while drunk and to enforce the wearing of helmets while driving motorcycles. This is particularly true in rural areas, he told the Government e-newspaper.

"Visiting the Viet Duc hospital in Ha Noi on Tuesday, I found that 100 per cent of the emergency cases were related to drunk driving and driving vehicles along roads in rural areas," he said.

Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, has urged local authorities to take more measures to ensure traffic safety and order. They should be focusing on ensuring that traffic police and inspectors are mobilised and on duty around the clock, Phuc said. Furthermore, traffic forces should concentrate on rural areas, as well as traffic jams and accident hotspots along national and provincial highways, he suggested.

Transport forces were instructed to strictly punish illegal acts by companies involved in the transport of passengers, particularly for unreasonable pricing and overloading of vehicles.

Officials said that twenty transport businesses have had licences revoked for committing such violations over the past days.

Source: VNS