PM urges traffic safety for National Day holiday

Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has sent a message to ministries and localities ordering them to ensure road safety during the coming holiday.

Vietnam will have a three-day holiday from August 31 - September 2 to celebrate National Day (September 2) and the new school year on September 5.

The message was sent to the ministries of public securities, transport, information and communications, the National Committee for Traffic Safety and provincial and municipal people’s committees.

In the message, PM Phuc said efforts are needed to improve the capacity of public transport services to meet increasing demand for travel during the holidays.

The ministries should closely manage coaches, terminals, stations and airports to reduce traffic jams, delays and illegal price hikes, the PM said.

Phuc asked the ministries and agencies to provide information on traffic safety and accident prevention to media outlets, and encourage citizens to use public transport.

The National Committee for Traffic Safety and administrations nationwide were told to instruct transport companies and drivers to obey traffic safety regulations.

During 'The action month for traffic safety for students to go to school – September', schools must teach students about traffic-safety regulations, he said.

Increased inspections should be used to strictly punish traffic regulation violators, especially those who cause traffic accidents.

Traffic infrastructure will be checked, including signals, warning signs and warning equipment in places that have a high risk of traffic accidents. Tollbooths will assign more workers to collect fees to reduce traffic jams.

Drivers must ensure passenger safety by driving more carefully on steep roads and through level crossings and water during storms and torrential rain, he added.

Local departments of transport were also asked to remind people of the importance of wearing helmets and obeying regulations to minimise accidents.

Chairpersons of municipal and provincial-level people’s committees would have to take full responsibility in the event of railway accidents, he added. They must have measures to ensure traffic safety for students while going to school, especially those living in remote mountainous provinces during rainy season.

Hotlines to receive traffic complaints should be widely publicised, he said.

Reports on these efforts will be sent to the National Committee for Traffic Safety before 4pm on September 2 to submit to the Prime Minister. - VNA