There have been 270 railway accidents so far this year in which 300 people have been killed and injured, according to the Vietnam Railway Corporation.
Ninety percent of them occurred at crossings.
Only 750 out of 5,400 level crossings in the country are manned or have alarm systems to signal a train's arrival, a recent study by the corporation has found.
The 1,700km route from Hanoi to HCM City crosses 3,650 roads but 3,000 of them have no barriers, alarm systems or guards.
Collisions between trains and road vehicles were frequent at these places, the study said.
The localities with the highest density of road crossings were Hanoi , Nghe An, Khanh Hoa and Dong Nai.
Lt Col Do Viet Hung, head of traffic police in Hung Yen province's Van Lam district, said in many places local residents created impromptu crossings which railway authorities try to fence off but to no avail. The locals simply lift up the fence to gain entry.
But authorised crossings were no less dangerous: Checks by the Department of Roadways and Railway Traffic Police this year found that 95 percent of them were unsafe. Railway authorities plan to conduct more regular checks on the safety at the crossroads, prevent people from using unauthorised crossings, and build more access roads to level crossings.
They also plan to seek local authorities' help in raising safety awareness.
Pham Van Binh, head of railway traffic safety, said many vehicle drivers crossed rail tracks recklessly. The Ministry of Transport has promised to clear all unauthorised crossings by 2012./.
Ninety percent of them occurred at crossings.
Only 750 out of 5,400 level crossings in the country are manned or have alarm systems to signal a train's arrival, a recent study by the corporation has found.
The 1,700km route from Hanoi to HCM City crosses 3,650 roads but 3,000 of them have no barriers, alarm systems or guards.
Collisions between trains and road vehicles were frequent at these places, the study said.
The localities with the highest density of road crossings were Hanoi , Nghe An, Khanh Hoa and Dong Nai.
Lt Col Do Viet Hung, head of traffic police in Hung Yen province's Van Lam district, said in many places local residents created impromptu crossings which railway authorities try to fence off but to no avail. The locals simply lift up the fence to gain entry.
But authorised crossings were no less dangerous: Checks by the Department of Roadways and Railway Traffic Police this year found that 95 percent of them were unsafe. Railway authorities plan to conduct more regular checks on the safety at the crossroads, prevent people from using unauthorised crossings, and build more access roads to level crossings.
They also plan to seek local authorities' help in raising safety awareness.
Pham Van Binh, head of railway traffic safety, said many vehicle drivers crossed rail tracks recklessly. The Ministry of Transport has promised to clear all unauthorised crossings by 2012./.
