Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the transport sector to take synchronous measures to reduce traffic accidents and congestion, especially in major cities.

At a conference to review the sector’s operations last year and launch activities for 2012 in Hanoi on Jan. 7, PM Dung urged the sector to fulfill the target of reducing between 5 and 10 percent of road accidents in the traffic safety year 2012.

Dung asked the sector to build mechanism and policies to focus human resources on expanding National Highway No. 1, some degrading highways and expressways linking Hanoi and Lao Cai, Hanoi and Hai Phong, Hanoi and Thai Nguyen and Lach Huyen port, and develop a transport system in a modern and economic manner.

The PM highly valued the achievements made by the sector last year, especially in building transport infrastructure and goods transport. He said, however, that the sector needs to tackle issues such as traffic accidents, low-quality construction projects and poor planning management.

Last year, Vietnam saw a year-on-year decrease of 9.18 percent in road accidents, 3.8 percent in fatalities and 7.37 percent in traffic injuries./.