Traffic Safety Festival held in North Central Region

• Traffic accidents caused by cars rise sharply in first nine months
• HCM City’s new programme to reduce traffic congestion

The event saw the presence of representatives of ministries and branches, leaders of the People's Committees and the Traffic Safety Boards of North Central provinces, along with police officers and soldiers, students, youths and people  of Thua Thien Hue Province.

Speaking at the vent, Mr. Khuat Viet Hung, Vice Chairman of the NTSC said that, over the past time, thanks to the leadership of the Party, the instructions of the Government, and the participation of all ministries, branches and authorities from the central level to local, the traffic safety and order situation across the country has been improved. Traffic accidents have reduced in number of cases while death and injury tolls have also contracted.

In the first 9 months of 2018, the number of traffic accidents reduced by 7.8% while the death toll and injuries fell 1.84% and 12.45% respectively, compared to same period of 2017. In particular, the number of children died and injured in traffic accidents in the first 9 months decreased by 18.5%.

However, Mr. Khuat Viet Hung admitted that the number of deaths and injuries caused by traffic accidents still remained high as some people did not seriously follow traffic regulations and traffic safety rules.

In order to reduce traffic accidents in a sustainable way, functional agencies and units along with local authorities should drastically and synchronously implement solutions from transport infrastructure investment to strengthening the state management of transportation while enhancing dissemination on traffic safety and order in order to raise people's awareness of traffic safety and build a good traffic culture.

At the program, representatives of the Traffic Safety Board of North Central provinces signed a mutual deal to improve local people’s awareness of the Traffic Law and build a good traffic culture in their localities.

Within the program, the Traffic Safety Fund of the Transport Newspaper presented 10 packs of gifts worth 2 million VND each to local families with traffic accidents' victims. The Thua Thien Hue Provincial People's Committee also presented 18 packs of gifts worth 1 million VND each to victims of traffic accidents living in an extremely difficult state. The NTSC also handed over 1,000 helmets to the association of motorcycles, local cyclos drivers and workers of Thua Thien Hue Province.