VietNamNet Bridge – Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung, has told localities around the country to view traffic safety issues as a key task for 2007, especially in the lead-up to the Lunar New Year, or Tet, holiday.

Traffic on Dai Co Viet crossroads in the capital.

Hung Spoke at a national conference on traffic safety held yesterday in HCM City, which was attended by representatives of police and traffic safety boards from 64 provinces and cities nationwide.

Hung said a series of measures must be enacted quickly that would help reduce the number of traffic accidents.

He asked the ministries of transport and culture and information as well as the national traffic safety committee to map out their own plans for traffic safety, and mobilise all resources to further public modes of transportation.

"From 2007 to 2010, each city and province should strive to reduce traffic accidents by 10% compared with the previous year. By the end of 2007, areas where there are a high number of accidents must be eliminated or improved," he said.

At the conference yesterday, the National Traffic Safety Committee recommended a series of measures that would tackle the increasingly high accident rate on the country's roads.

Deputy Minister of Public Security, Tran Dai Quang, said the national campaign would begin with traffic education in the schools, from kindergarten to the tertiary level.

Hanoi should intensify implementation of measures to reduce traffic accidents and traffic jams, that was the message delivered by People's Committee deputy chairman, Do Hoang An, at a meeting this week.

The meeting was held to hammer out plans to improve traffic order and safety and reduce the frequency of accidents in the city.

The city Police Department proposed 11 solutions to increase the city's public road safety.

They include: giving priority to supplying electricity to public lighting systems; building flyovers for pedestrians and reducing the use of buses in the Dong Da and Thanh Xuan districts.

The city People's Committee has also decided to make spot checks of city taxi companies and will only allow those companies with at least 100 taxis to remain in operation.

From yesterday the police in the city launched a new campaign to enforce traffic laws.

Tough measures

Minister of Transport and Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee Ho Ngua Dung has said his ministry would launch a campaign, on traffic safety nation-wide during Vietnam's biggest festival of the year.

The campaign would look to educate motorists on safer driving habits in a bid to curb the burgeoning accident and fatality rates recorded on the nation's roads.

According to statistics recorded by the National Traffic Safety Committee, in the eleven months ending up to last November, 13,253 road accidents were... reported with 11,489 deaths and 10,213 people injured.

Dung said in his opinion there were some key areas that needed to be addressed in order to make Vietnam's streets safer.

Lax traffic enforcement particularly along the high-ways and water ways was one point that needs to be looked at. If law enforcement activities were stricter, Dung said, the number of accidents would be reduced.

He went on to say that, the rapid increase in vehicle ownership, particularly motor bikes was also a leading cause of road traffic accidents in the country.

Statistics presented by the committee indicated that in the ten months under review, some 70,000 new cars were registered, an increase of 17.5% against the same period of 2005 and more than two million new motor bikes were put on the roads, an increase of 11.5%.

With one million vehicles and more than 18mil motor bikes on the roads, Dung said the country's infrastructure development had failed to keep pace with increased transportation demand.

Although the government had focused on improving infrastructure nation wide with special attention given to urban areas, congestion still remained a major problem for planners.

Poor public traffic safety education was another leading cause of accidents, Dung said.

With up to 70% of road accidents caused by reckless drivers. Statistics point to alarming figures that show 50% of drivers of motor bikes do not indicate when turning; 70% don't use the hand break; 85% didn't know how to use the horn properly, 90% didn't use head lights properly and 72% didn't wear helmets.

Solutions

Minister Dung said recently the National Traffic Safety Committee had been working closely with different ministries and sectors to initiate measures to reduce traffic accidents.

Dung pointed to key points to enhance road safety within the country.

Firstly, the national strategy on traffic safety (2006-2016) developed by the government must be consulted with relevant government agencies and organisations.

The strategy should cover the three main areas of, raising people's awareness; improving the infrastructure system and the quality of the means of transport and shoring up enforcement of traffic violators.

Secondly, the National Traffic Safety Committee would act as the government's advisor and develop proposals to complete the organisational structure of the traffic safety committees at all levels for the government to consider.

Thirdly, the Ministry of Public Security and Transport would ensure proper law enforcement.

And finally, the Ministry of Transport would ask the government to issue a new decree to replace the outdated Decree 152 on administrative sanctions on traffic violations.

In the capacity as an advisor to the government, the ministry would assist the government to issue a new decision on the compulsory wearing of safety helmets.

(Source: Viet Nam News)