Domestic and foreign researchers gathered at a recent workshop in Hanoi to share experience in ensuring traffic safety in the Asia-Pacific region.

The October 22 workshop was organised by the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC), the University of Transport , and the Republic of Korea ’s Transportation Safety Authority (KOTSA)

Head of the University’s Consulting Centre for Transport Development Le Thu Huyen cited the poor behaviour of commuters and awareness on traffic safety along with outdated transport infrastructure and road traffic signals as reasons behind traffic accidents.

She suggested designing a long-term comprehensive roadmap to reduce the number of road casualties.

A survey conducted by KOTSA showed that the rate of road fatalities in developing countries is high as a result of the rapid urbanisation and the increasing number of registered means of transport. It suggested that it is necessary to upgrade traffic infrastructure and launch educational campaigns on traffic regulations to ensure traffic safety in a sustainable manner.

Vietnam ’s national strategy on road traffic safety till 2020 with a vision to 2030 emphasised the responsibility of the whole political system, the entire people and the society in ensuring traffic safety and reducing accidents.

During the 2012-2020 period, the strategy targets to reduce the number of road death by 5-10 percent each year, and ease traffic congestions in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City .

All students nationwide must be educated about traffic regulations, while 85 percent of traffic participants are provided with traffic regulations and information.

Relevant agencies continue implementing policies on the management of operations and business of vehicles while upgrading technical infrastructure and key highways.-VNA