HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình on Thursday urged agencies to take drastic measures to tackle traffic problems.

While chairing an online meeting on traffic safety, Bình who is also head of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said despite efforts made by the Government, there remained major traffic problems like fatal traffic accidents, illegal level crossings and coaches’ picking passengers up in dangerous places.

Bình said that during traffic violation detection and punishment, law enforcement forces still did not fulfill their obligations, ignoring violations or committing wrongdoings.

“Such problems have not been solved,” he said, adding that the Government received few reports on how leaders of relevant parties take responsibility when violations occurred.

According to the National Traffic Safety Committee, from December 16, 2017 to September 15, 2018, a total of 13,242 traffic accidents occurred, killing 6,012 people and injuring 10,319 others.

The figures represented year-on-year decreases with the number of traffic accidents down some 1,100 cases, the death toll falling 113 and the number of injured people reducing by more than 1,400.

In the past nine months, 38 of 64 cities and provinces nationwide saw reductions in traffic-relating deaths while 23 localities saw death toll increases. Nine localities saw the rate of increase in excess of 20 per cent, including Kiên Giang, Hậu Giang, Hải Dương, Quảng Nam and Lai Châu.

Cao Bằng, Tây Ninh and Bắc Giang provinces saw the death toll increase by 50 per cent.

Also at the meeting, Deputy PM Bình asked the Ministry of Transport to verify causes and responsibility of parties involving in the degradation of the Đà Nẵng-Quảng Ngãi expressway.

The expressway was opened for traffic early last month but the road surface was soon damaged, with potholes appearing. Rain and overloaded vehicles were blamed for the damage.

Transport Minister Nguyễn Văn Thể said that the ministry on Thursday sent inspectors to examine the road.

The inspection results would be used to determine if toll collection on the road should be continued.

“The transport ministry will closely track the road fixing on Đà Nẵng-Quảng Ngãi expressway. When the fixing work is completed, toll collection will be resumed,” he said. — VNS