The meeting of the National Traffic Safety Committee on April 24 in Hà Nội review the traffic situation in the first quarter of 2024. Photo dangcongsan.vn

HÀ NỘI — In the first quarter of this year, the economy continued to grow, and travel demand increased, with many high-travel periods putting pressure on the traffic safety system, said deputy chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee Lê Kim Thành.

Thanks to the decisive direction of the Government and Prime Minister, and the active participation of ministries, branches and localities, the traffic safety situation in the first quarter was basically controlled, he said in yesterday’s committee meeting reviewing traffic safety in the first quarter of 2024.

He told the meeting that during this period, the number of traffic accidents increased but the number of deaths decreased.

According to a report from the National Traffic Safety Committee, in the first quarter of this year (from December 15, 2023, to March 14, 2024), there were 6,550 traffic accidents nationwide, killing 2,723 people and injuring 5,246.

The number of accidents increased by 1,194, or 22.3 per cent, and injuries rose by 1,847 injuries (54.3 per cent), but deaths decreased by 484 deaths, or 15.1 per cent, compared to the same period last year, the report said.

The number of deaths due to traffic accidents decreased compared to the same period in 2023 in 40 provinces and centrally run cities, of which 11 localities reduced the number of deaths by over 30 per cent, including Long An, Hậu Giang, Bình Thuận, Thái Nguyên, Ninh Thuận, Bình Định, Sơn La, Quảng Nam, Phú Thọ and Bình Phước provinces and HCM City. The provinces of Long An, Hậu Giang and Bình Thuận decreased deaths by over 45 per cent.

However, there were still 22 localities with the number of deaths increasing, of which 10 provinces increased by over 20 per cent, including Tiền Giang, Bến Tre, Điện Biên, Quảng Trị, Hưng Yên, Hà Giang, Đồng Tháp, Thừa Thiên - Huế, Lào Cai and Cà Mau, and five provinces with the number increasing by over 50 per cent of Hà Giang, Đồng Tháp, Thừa Thiên - Huế, Lào Cai and Cà Mau.

Among the total traffic accidents, 6,496 cases occurred on roadways, killing 2,686 people and injuring 5,239 people, 40 accidents involved railways, killing 30 people and injuring five people, and 14 were waterway accidents incidents, killing seven people, injuring two people.

Notably, in the quarter, there were several severe traffic accidents, killing and injuring many people, arousing public opinion, such as the accident on January 23 in Đà Nẵng City killing two people and wounded 20 people, or the March 5 accident in Tuyên Quang Province, killing five people and injuring nine.

Regarding civil aviation, the Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam (CAA) reported receiving 46 mandatory safety reports, 23 D-level incidents (safety-threatening incidents), and no serious incidents/accidents.

The number of incidents has significantly decreased compared to the same period last year, said CAA.

In the first quarter, the traffic police nationwide inspected and handled more than one million cases of violating traffic order and safety on roads, railways, and inland waterways. They issued fines of over VNĐ2 trillion (US$78.8 million), revoked over 206,400 driving licenses and professional certificates, and temporarily impounded more than 373,500 vehicles of all types.

Handling cases increased by more than 285,000 cases or 38 per cent, and fines increased by nearly VNĐ675.4 billion (26.6 million) or 49.44 per cent compared to last year.

Among the violations, there were over 275,000 cases of alcohol concentration violations, accounting for 22.23 per cent; 1,587 cases of drivers being positive for drugs (accounting for 0.13 per cent); 245,700 cases of speeding (19.85 per cent); 15,200 cases of overloaded goods; 6,521 cases of loading beyond the safe waterline mark; and 776 cases of violating regulations on building, converting and repairing vehicles.

The Ministry of National Defence guided and directed agencies and units to develop and implement plans to inspect military vehicles in 2024, especially during peak periods such as New Year, Lunar New Year and spring festivals.

During this quarter, the Ministry of National Defence has inspected 1,654 military vehicles participating in traffic and closely co-ordinated with the Traffic Police Department and related agencies to handle 27 cases of violation of traffic order and safety. VNS