Laos: Vientiane authorities work to reduce traffic accidents

A road in Vientiane (Photo: iist.or.jp)

Vientiane (VNA) – Authorities of the Lao capital of Vientiane will soon commence imposing ten-fold fines on drunk drivers and speeding motorists in the capital, in a bid to reduce the frequency of road-related accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

Vientiane Police Traffic Department Deputy Director Major Sangkhom Phommalath said this year, Lao police intend to apply greater enforcement of the law and firmly penalise those who violate traffic regulations.

The department is making a draft plan for the implementation of ten-fold increased fines which it will submit to the municipal People’s Council in late July for approval, he stated.

If the draft plan is approved, drivers of cars and pick-up trucks could be fined up to 500,000 LAK (nearly 60 USD), instead of the present limit of 50,000 LAK (6 USD), if they violate regulations related to speeding, he added.

According to statistics from the Lao Ministry of Public Security, in the first four months of 2018, there were 2,341 road accidents around the country which killed 429 people, injured 3,816 others, and damaged 4,067 vehicles. -VNA