Traffic safety year launched in Hanoi

Hanoi (VNA) – The National Committee for Traffic Safety in collaboration with the Hanoi People’s Committee organised a ceremony to kick off the year of traffic safety in the capital on January 4.

Themed “traffic safety for passengers and bikers”, the programme prioritises ensuring traffic safety during the coming lunar New Year holiday and 2019 spring festival.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the committee Truong Hoa Binh lauded efforts by Hanoi authorities and local people in implementing a series of measures to reduce traffic accidents and jams, contributing significantly to the overal outcome for the entire nation.

In 2018 alone, Vietnam recorded 18,736 traffic accidents that killed 8,248 people and injured 14,802 others. The figures represented annual decreases of 1,348 cases, 33 deaths, and 2,238 injured people. During the period, Hanoi also saw reductions across the three categories.

The Deputy PM asked the committee and relevant agencies, sectors, and localities to continue carrying out the Government’s directives on ensuring traffic safety, as well as Directive No.18-CT/TW issued on September 4, 2018 by the Party Central Committee's Secretariat, which focused on increasing the Party leadership in ensuring traffic order and safety on domestic road, rail, and waterway routes.  

He recommended the sides concentrate on a number of solutions, including completing legal and policy systems to curb traffic accidents and congestion; increasing the effective works of public management and traffic patrols and monitoring; and speeding up the progress and boosting the quality of major traffic infrastructure construction projects.

He urged the sides to follow tasks set out in the Prime Minister’s Directive No.1793 on ensuring traffic safety during the Lunar New Year holiday and 2019 spring festival.

Nguyen Duc Chung, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, also highlighted the implementation of the document along with the municipal plan for traffic safety on the occasion among relevant local agencies and sectors.

A maximum number of personnel must be mobilised for guiding traffic, particularly during rush hour and near construction sites, he ordered.

Communications campaigns and stricter handling of violations, especially drink-driving and those related to cargo and passenger transport, are also needed, the city leader said.

The ceremony was rounded off with a parade by the municipal traffic police force. –VNA