Traffic accidents, casualties up in HCMC after 8-year dip

September 30, 2016 - 10:16

There have been 2,919 road accidents in HCM City this year in which 607 died and 2,377 others were injured, the Department of Transport reported.

A traffic accident in Tân Bình District, HCM City. There have been 2,919 road accidents in HCM City this year in which 607 died and 2,377 others were injured. — Photo danviet.vn

HCM CITY — There have been 2,919 road accidents in HCM City this year in which 607 died and 2,377 others were injured, the Department of Transport reported.

The number of accidents and deaths were up 8.8 per cent and 15.4 per cent year-on-year.

According to Nguyễn Ngọc Tường, deputy director of Traffic Safety Committee, after falling for eight straight years, 2016 witnessed a sharp rise in accidents, fatalities and injuries.

Besides poor awareness of laws and an increasing incidence of drunken driving, he also blamed the increasing number of accidents on authorities’ poor management of infrastructure.

The Ministry of Transport admitted at a recent conference that it should have factored in the increasing number of vehicles in the city in recent months and managed roads more competently.

The city People’s Committee has instructed relevant agencies to install more cameras on the streets to monitor traffic. – VNS

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