Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 21 signed a directive on further ensuring traffic safety and order for students in the new situation.
In the directive, the Government leader underlined that the Party and State defined ensuring traffic safety for students as one of the top priorities.
However, he noted that the current traffic safety situation has still been complicated, affecting students. Since the beginning of this year, nearly 900 traffic accidents involving students (from 6-18 years old) have been reported, killing 490 people and injuring 827 others.
Therefore, the PM asked for more drastic measures to prevent and minimise traffic accidents related to students.
He urged ministries and heads of ministry-level agencies and governmental agencies as well as Chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to consider the guarantee of traffic safety for students as one of their key tasks that must be implemented drastically, persistently, regularly and continuously.
Ministries, sectors and localities were assigned specific tasks in the work, with the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) requested to review and complete teaching programmes and contents related to traffic safety and order for students, and build a set of rules of civilised traffic culture for students.
The MoET was ordered to step up the popularisation of traffic regulations among teachers and students, while focusing on training teachers in traffic safety education.
Meanwhile, the MoET was asked to direct the provincial and municipal Departments of Education and Training to work with relevant agencies in installing cameras near schools to monitor the traffic situation in the areas, while providing information on school buses to authorised agencies to ensure that all the vehicles meets safety requirements.
The Ministry of Public Security was requested to coordinate with the education and training sector to promote communications and education on traffic laws in education facilities, increase traffic management and handle violations.
Particularly, the Ministry of Transport was assigned to design mechanisms and policies to encourage students to travel by public transport means and school buses, and inspect the implementation of traffic safety regulations among businesses engaging in transporting students under contract.
The People’s Committees of centrally-run cities and provinces were asked to review and re-organise traffic activities in school areas as well as areas with high risks of traffic accidents, upgrade the transport infrastructure systems in school areas, and support schools in organising safe transport activities for students.
