Vietnam’s road accident-related deaths fall by 43.5% in 2011-2020

Dien Bien traffic police officers check the alcohol concentration of a motorist on National Road 279. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam is among 45 out of 193 UN member countries whose deaths in road accidents decreased by over 30% in the 2011-2020 period, said Khuat Viet Hung, Vice Chairman of the National Road Traffic Safety Committee.

The information was unveiled at the conference to launch of the Global status report on road safety 2023 within the framework of the UN Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC) Meeting which took place at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on December 12 and 13.

The meeting highly appreciated the strong commitment, leadership and effective direction of the Party, the National Assembly, the Government and the Prime Minister of Vietnam in ensuring traffic order and safety in general and ensuring road traffic safety in particular, said Hung, who attended the event.

After 10 years of persistent efforts to implement solutions to respond to the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, Vietnam's road traffic death rate declined from 25.4 per 100,000 people in 2010 to 17.7 per 100,000 people in 2021, down 43.5%, according to World Health Organisation (WHO).

Khuat Viet Hung, Vice Chairman of the National Road Traffic Safety Committee. (Photo: VNA)

Hung attributed the results that Vietnam has achieved in ensuring road safety in the reviewed period to the efforts of the entire political system under the leadership of the Party.

Regarding the country’s orientations for the 2021-2030 period, he said that next year, Vietnam will promulgate the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety which aims to perfect the system of regulations on traffic rules and regulations, vehicle technical safety, safety in transport activities as well as handling violations of traffic order and safety.

The new law will clearly define the functions and tasks of specialised agencies and stakeholders in state management in this regard, creating a solid and comprehensive legal foundation to effectively implement policies and solutions to ensure road traffic order and safety in the coming period.

Hung also represented Vietnam to attend the High-Level Consultative Committee (HLCC) for the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, scheduled to be held in Morocco from February 18 - 21, 2025 (GMCRS 2025).

After a day of discussion, the meeting agreed on the general agenda of GMCRS 2025, including a summary of the Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020) and necessary actions of countries to achieve the goal of reducing road traffic accidents by 50% by 2030.

The meeting affirmed that data from the WHO showed that motorcyclists, and users of mopeds and electric scooters account for 21% of the total number of road accident-related deaths which is on the rise in some regions, especially Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa and Latin America. Therefore, traffic safety for motorcyclists will be an important topic to discuss at GMCRS 2025 to find solutions to minimise casualties worldwide.

The meeting proposed Vietnam research and coordinate with the WHO to organise a symposium on traffic safety for motorbike riders to prepare the contents, especially those relating experiences on improving traffic safety for motorcyclists, which are expected to be presented at GMCRS 2025./.