Stronger communications needed to raise public awareness of traffic safety: Deputy PM

Chairing a national meeting on April 6 to review the protection of traffic safety and order in the first quarter of this year and sketch out tasks for the next quarter, Quang, who is also Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said that more drastic measures should be rolled out, with strict punishments on violations.

He asked for closer cooperation among the administrations at all levels with relevant forces in ensuring traffic safety.

According to Vice Chairman of the committee Khuat Viet Hung, in the first quarter of 2023, falls of 15.43% and 15.23% were seen in the number of traffic accidents and fatality, respectively, to 428 cases and 258 deaths.

However, a number of serious accidents happened in the period, killing and injuring many people, he said, stressing that the major reason behind the cases was violations in the law and regulations on traffic safety.

At the meeting, participants also discussed the search and rescue for victims of the recent helicopter crash.

The Bell-505 helicopter, owned by the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company under the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation, got an accident at about 5:06pm on April 5 in the sea area of Gia Luan commune in Cat Hai district of Hai Phong city while carrying four Vietnamese tourists on a sightseeing tour of Ha Long Bay.

Ho Minh Tan, Vice Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, said that the location of the helicopter has been defined, and the bodies of four victims found, along with debris from the craft. Currently, search and rescue activities are continuing, he said.