Two-lane expressways were once seen as vital arteries to unlock regional development. However, lacking hard medians and emergency lanes, many are now accident-prone stretches.

VietNamNet launches the series “Challenges of Two-Lane Expressways” to spotlight infrastructure bottlenecks, raise safety concerns, and push for improvements to ensure these major roads are truly safe for all travelers.

A string of accidents on two-lane expressways

Recently launched North-South expressway sections, many built in the initial phase with just two lanes, have shortened travel times but also emerged as dangerous accident hotspots.

On the early morning of July 9, a deadly crash on the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet expressway (Hàm Liêm commune, Lam Dong province) claimed three lives. A sleeper bus with license plate 78F-002.64 failed to keep a safe distance and collided with another sleeper bus (85F-000.37) that had stopped due to a tire blowout.

Just weeks earlier, at 46+100 km on the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway (Binh Chanh commune, Quang Nam), a passenger coach (15H-098.XX) rammed into the rear of a parked trailer (29H-928.XX) partially occupying the emergency lane. The crash killed two people and injured several others.

Other two-lane expressways such as Mai Son - National Highway 45 and Nghi Son - Dien Chau have also witnessed multiple pileups due to sudden stops, lack of emergency lanes, and drivers losing control while avoiding road hazards.

These accidents often result in two to four fatalities, heavy vehicle damage, and hours-long traffic paralysis. In one tragic incident in February 2024, a car crash with a container truck on the Cam Lo - La Son expressway took the lives of a mother and her two children.

Narrow roads, missing emergency lanes

According to the Traffic Police Department (Ministry of Public Security), many expressways fail to meet safety standards from the outset but are still opened to traffic. Key deficiencies include the absence of hard medians, inadequate emergency lanes, poor nighttime lighting, and limited visibility.

For example, on the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway, the emergency lane width only reaches 2.5 meters (including lane markings), below the 3-meter minimum standard. This means large trucks stopping often extend into driving lanes.

Other stretches like Cam Lo - La Son and portions of the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway (Km 123 to Km 262+300) have no emergency lanes or medians at all. Vehicles must stop in active lanes or veer into shoulders, increasing crash risks during overtaking or breakdowns.

Most of these two-lane expressways also lack essential rest stops, forcing fatigued drivers to push on without breaks or stop dangerously on the road. “Many stop on the expressway to relieve themselves or rest, blocking traffic and triggering accidents,” a traffic police official said.

Hidden dangers when roads are narrow and vehicles are large

Insights from drivers and local residents underscore the dangers of these routes.

Tran Duc Huy, a 38-year-old container truck driver with 15 years on the North-South route, shared: “On narrow stretches, when smaller vehicles brake suddenly, it’s extremely risky. Avoiding stalled cars is even harder without an emergency lane. Just a slight steering error can mean veering into oncoming traffic or off the road.”

He called for expanding lanes, adding emergency stops, clear lane markings, and surveillance cameras to curb reckless driving.

Nguyen Thi Lan, 56, lives near a two-lane expressway in central Vietnam. She has seen several fatal accidents involving motorcycles that mistakenly enter the expressway. “There are no frontage roads in some areas, so locals cross the expressway. At night, a slow-moving motorcycle or an unlit one can get hit by a fast-moving truck. We need fences, proper signs, and safe entry points,” she said.

Pham Van Tin, a 44-year-old passenger bus driver on the Ha Tinh - Da Nang route, said night trips on two-lane expressways are especially stressful. “More than once I’ve come across a broken-down truck in the middle of the road. With no lane to swerve into, I either brake hard or risk a head-on crash,” he said.

As Vietnam continues expanding the North-South expressway network, many newly opened sections still have only two lanes without emergency lanes. Unless addressed promptly, roads designed to speed up travel and fuel growth could instead become dangerous black spots on the traffic map.

Dinh Hieu - Y Nhuy