A project for road safety improvement in the north was kicked off on June 8 in Thai Nguyen province by the Ministry of Transport and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The Ha Noi – Thai Nguyen route is part of a comprehensive traffic safety project covering four national roads and 10 cities and provinces in the region.

The 81 million USD Japanese official development assistance (ODA) loan project aims to reduce the number of traffic accidents and repair damage along key roads in 46 towns and districts.

The five-and-a-half-year project will include civil works, installation of traffic lights and signals, improvements to traffic enforcement, and traffic safety education and awareness for local residents and road users.
JICA statistics show that about 50 percent of the nation's traffic accidents occur on national roads./.