Official dispatch on ensuring traffic safety and order during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year).

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has just signed and issued Official Dispatch 2313/CD-TTg on ensuring traffic order and safety during the New Year's Day, Lunar New Year (Year of the Monkey), and Spring Festival 2016.

The official dispatch states: To ensure traffic order and safety for the people to celebrate the New Year, the Lunar New Year (Year of the Monkey), and the Spring Festival 2016, and to contribute to ensuring absolute security, order, and social safety during the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Prime Minister requests:

1. The Ministry of Transport directs:

a) Transport businesses should enhance their transport capacity, ensure the technical safety of vehicles; promote online ticket sales, improve service quality, and create maximum convenience for people to travel, ensuring that no passengers are unable to return home for Tet due to a lack of transportation.

b) Inspect and address violations of road lanes, sidewalks, and traffic safety corridors; conduct traffic safety audits of all projects before commissioning, especially sections of National Highway 1, the Hanoi-Hai Phong Expressway, and the Hanoi-Bac Giang Expressway. Expeditiously review and address traffic accident hotspots and alleviate traffic congestion on key national and provincial highways, particularly the main routes into and out of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, before January 15, 2016.

Strengthen inspection and supervision of the implementation of regulations on labor safety, traffic organization, ensuring traffic safety and environmental protection on construction sites.

Control, prevent, and strictly handle violations and negative practices in transportation activities such as overcrowding, illegal transfer of passengers, and unauthorized fare increases.

c) Organize and manage traffic flow rationally on key transportation routes with high traffic volume, especially on main routes into and out of major cities, and routes connecting to key transportation hubs (airports, seaports, railway stations, bus stations, etc.). Strengthen waterway safety management at river ferry terminals, tourist destinations, and festivals; resolutely suspend the operation of illegal terminals and vehicles that do not meet safety standards, lack life-saving equipment, or carry more passengers than permitted. Strengthen measures to ensure safety at intersections between roads and railways, especially level crossings; pay attention to ensuring security and order at airports, railway stations, and bus stations during the first and last days of holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year).

2. The Ministry of Public Security directs:

a) Intensify patrols and inspections, and handle violations of traffic safety regulations during the New Year's Day, Lunar New Year (Year of the Monkey), and Spring Festival 2016; strengthen forces to ensure absolute security and social order during the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Focus on inspecting and handling violations by vehicle owners and drivers engaged in transportation business, especially violations related to load limits, vehicle technical safety, routes, driving time, and picking up and dropping off passengers in violation of regulations. Concentrate on penalizing violations of regulations on alcohol concentration, speed, driving in the wrong lane, and using vehicles that do not meet technical safety standards; prevent and combat illegal car and motorcycle racing. Strengthen inspections of inland waterway traffic safety on key transport routes, river ferry terminals, tourist destinations, and festivals; ensure safety at level crossings between roads and railways.

b) Traffic police forces will strengthen coordination with other police forces and the Transport Inspectorate, deploying personnel on key traffic routes and areas with complex traffic conditions and a high risk of congestion; they will have plans to organize and regulate traffic, and be ready to promptly clear traffic and provide rescue in case of incidents or accidents, preventing prolonged congestion, especially on the first and last days of the Tet holiday on National Highways 1, 5, 6, 18, 32, 13, 22, 51, Ho Chi Minh Highway, expressways, and main routes into and out of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

3. The Ministry of Information and Communications directs the strengthening of traffic safety information and propaganda during the New Year, Lunar New Year, and Spring Festival 2016; focusing on disseminating measures to reduce motorcycle and scooter accidents in rural areas, measures to prevent passenger vehicle accidents, accidents on mountain passes, ferry accidents, and the "If you have drunk alcohol or beer, do not drive" campaign.

4. Vietnam Television, Vietnam Radio, and Vietnam News Agency have plans to promote traffic safety during the New Year, Lunar New Year, and Spring Festival 2016 with rich and engaging content; arranging broadcast schedules to suit people's daily lives and work schedules.

5. The Ministry of Education and Training directs educational institutions to strengthen traffic safety awareness education for students; universities and colleges should proactively coordinate with transportation companies to organize the sale of train and bus tickets at the school for students returning home for Tet holiday.

6. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism directs its affiliated agencies and the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism to coordinate with agencies of the Transport and Public Security sectors to develop plans for traffic organization and ensuring traffic order and safety during the organization of festivals.

7. The Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and political and social organizations shall direct the promotion of propaganda and mobilization among cadres, members, and union members to voluntarily comply with traffic laws, implement measures to prevent and avoid accidents involving motorcycles, motorbikes, ferries, and railway crossings; strictly wear helmets when riding motorcycles and motorbikes, adhere to the "If you have drunk alcohol or beer - do not drive" rule, avoid speeding and reckless overtaking, do not carry more passengers than permitted, observe safety when crossing railway tracks, and comply with safety regulations when traveling by ferry.

8. The National Traffic Safety Committee will publicize a hotline number through mass media to receive feedback on traffic safety during Tet, festivals, and the 12th National Party Congress; and will direct and coordinate with relevant agencies to promptly resolve and address issues. It will establish inspection teams to ensure traffic order and safety in key localities and areas; and will urge the implementation of the Plan for propaganda, mobilization, and handling of violations of regulations on blood alcohol concentration for drivers of motor vehicles in the period 2015-2020.

9. People's Committees of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City shall have plans to organize and regulate traffic, deploy sufficient personnel and vehicles, and be on duty on key traffic routes and main arteries entering and exiting the cities; implement traffic diversion in areas with complex traffic, construction sites, and high risk of congestion; promptly resolve congestion when it occurs, preventing prolonged congestion, especially on the first and last days of the Tet holiday.

10. The People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities shall develop specific plans and direct the synchronized and effective implementation of measures to ensure traffic order and safety for the people during the New Year, Lunar New Year (Year of the Monkey), and Spring Festival 2016, in accordance with the practical conditions of each locality, paying attention to rural and mountainous areas and locations where festivals are held; they shall supervise, inspect, and report the results of implementation to the National Traffic Safety Committee for compilation and reporting to the Prime Minister./.

According to Chinhphu.vn