The Ministry of Transport held a meeting on April 14 to review the situation of traffic accidents in the first quarter and set tasks for the months to come

At the Ministry of Transport’s meeting on April 14, Khuat Viet Hung, vice chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said that the accidents caused 1,700 deaths and 1,740 injuries during the period, falling by 3.84 per cent and 29.7 per cent on-year, respectively.

Between January and March, 33 cities and provinces saw an on-year drop in the number of deaths from traffic accidents, of which 11 localities reported a fall of over 40 per cent, including Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc, Quang Binh, Ha Giang, Son La, Tra Vinh, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, and Can Tho; while 24 others witnessed an on-year increase in the number of deaths.

Among the traffic accidents, there were nine extremely serious cases on road, killing 30 people and injuring 23 others. The country reported one extremely serious case in a waterway with 17 deaths.

Addressing the event, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The asked units and relevant agencies to take measures to reduce traffic accidents in the upcoming months, thus achieving the target of reducing the numbers of traffic accidents, deaths, and injuries by 5-10 per cent this year.