LÂM ĐỒNG — The Central Highland Lâm Đồng Province’s local authorities have warned drivers to be cautious on National Highway 20 after many people were either injured or killed in several serious accidents.

National Highway 20 is a key road linking Đà Lạt tourist city in Lâm Đồng to HCM City and southeastern provinces. It has become an accident hotspot, particularly during festive seasons or in summer when tourism is at its peak.

In the latest case on June 19, a head-on collision of two passenger coaches on Prenn mountain pass, which is part of National Highway 20 in Đà Lạt, killed eight people and injured 30. A 50-seater coach en route from Đà Lạt to HCM City hit a road worker on the mountain pass, which was being upgraded. The bus then lost control and struck another 50-seater coach that was going to Đà Lạt from Phan Thiết City in Bình Thuận Province.

Earlier in June, a truck hit a motorbike in the highway section going through Di Linh District, killing three people.

Vice-Chairwoman of Di Linh District’s People’s Committee Lâm Thị Phước Linh said the district recorded eight road accidents in the first six months of the year, seven cases of which happened on National Highway 20.

Meanwhile, 10 out of 13 road accidents recorded in Đạ Huoai District also happened on National Highway 20.

Lâm Đồng Province recorded 101 accidents in the first half of the year, in which 74 people were killed and 61 injured. Of the total, 57 cases happened on national highways, with the majority occurring on National Highway 20, according to figures from the provincial Traffic Safety Committee.

Director of the provincial Department of Transport Trương Hữu Hiệp said there were many reasons behind the increase in the number of road accidents on this highway.

Apart from factors such as speeding and careless driving, the upgrade work in many sections of the highway failed to ensure the safety of drivers, he said.

The risk of accidents was high in many sections of the national highway such as on mountain passes or at intersections, he said. 

In a recent meeting held to discuss measures to ensure road safety in the province, Chairman of the provincial people’s committee Đoàn Văn Việt said there were shortcomings and asked relevant agencies to take measures to help reduce the number of road accidents in the coming time, by inspecting and supervising vehicles travelling on the highway and checking road upgrade works to ensure that they take steps to ensure public safety. — VNS