As per a report of Police Bureau under the Ministry of Public Security on February 10, the number of traffic accidents drastically increase in Tet holidays (Lunar New Year) compared to days before.
For instance, in February 10, the country has 57 road accidents killing 37 people, injuring 65 people. Railway and marine traffic have no accidents. On February 9, in the national high way in Chuong My District in Hanoi there was an accident between a truck and 3 motorbikes killing 3 people at the spot and injuring 3 others.
The National Traffic Safety Committee said that the sector’s hot line still received phones from passengers who complained that bus drivers increased ticket fare on their own choice, parking fee in pagodas and interesting spots in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and crowded passengers on the bus. The committee asked related agencies to check the information passengers complained and fined bus drivers if the complaints are true.
On the same day, the leaders of the committee and the Ministry of Health’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment visited and wished medical workers in Viet- Duc Hospital in Hanoi happy Tet holidays. The delegation also presented gifts to 10 poor traffic accident victims who are being treated in the hospital.
The Ministry of Health said that hospitals in the country reported that the number of traffic related victims went up dramatically in 3 days of Tet holidays. Out of 90,000 people went to the hospital for examination and treatment, 17,287 are victims of traffic accidents, an increase of 113 percent compared to Tet holidays last year.
Of 17,287 people, 1,928 had acquired brain injuries accounting for 11.2 percent.
The situation is similar in hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City like 115 People hospital, The Trauma and Orthopedics Hospital and Cho Ray. Many cases of accidents linked with drunk drivers. Some cases of hospitalization is related to fighting with 2,000 cases, said the Ministry of Health.
More worrisome, some cases related to firecrackers with 98 cases and 17 of them come from the central province of Quang Ngai and 15 of them were hospitalized because of incidents from firework in the city square across the major cities. Nearly 2,000 people were hospitalized due to food poisoning.
Because the situation increase drastically, Deputy Prime Minister cum head of the chairman of Traffic Safety Committee Nguyen Xuan Phuc February 10 sent dispatch asking related agencies and municipal and provincial departments of traffic safety enhance supervision and handled traffic violations. Especially police officers were asked to issue harsh penalties on drunk drivers and speech violation and not wearing helmet. Leaders of police station must arrange police officers in vulnerable traffic congestion to release it.
