Reducing traffic accidents on National Highway 1A: It starts with awareness!

(Baonghean) - According to compiled data from the Traffic Police Department of Nghean Province, from February 1st to March 15th, seven traffic accidents occurred on National Highway 1A through the province, resulting in seven deaths and five injuries. Of these, six accidents were caused by cars, resulting in six deaths and four injuries; and one accident was caused by a motorbike, resulting in one death. Regarding the causes of the accidents, three were due to lack of observation, one was due to speeding, and one was due to driving on the wrong side of the road. The accidents mainly occurred in Dien Chau district.

Billboards are obscuring traffic signs on the road section passing through Nghi Yen commune (Nghi Loc district).

For example, at 4:30 PM on February 1st, a motorbike with license plate 37U1 – 7857, driven by a woman residing in Dien Yen commune (Dien Chau district) and carrying two children, collided with a truck with license plate 36N – 2771 traveling in the same direction on National Highway 1A near Cau Loi bridge, Dien Hong commune (Dien Chau district). The collision resulted in two fatalities and one seriously injured person. The cause was determined to be the truck overtaking on the right, encroaching on the motorbike lane.

At approximately 4 PM on March 8th, on National Highway 1A, in Nghi Yen commune (Nghi Loc district), a passenger car with license plate 37A-060.37, while swerving to avoid a parked truck, collided with the rear of a truck with license plate 37C-077.07 traveling at high speed. Following the strong impact, the passenger car lost control, flipped over several times on the highway, and overturned on the roadside. Fortunately, the airbags in the passenger car deployed, saving the lives of the two occupants. At 5 PM on March 18th, a multi-vehicle accident involving three cars occurred on National Highway 1A in Dien Truong commune (Dien Chau district). While traveling in the South-North direction, a passenger car with license plate 37A-150.19, due to excessive speed, rear-ended a container truck with license plate 29R-01906 traveling in the same direction. It then lost control, crashed into the median strip, spun around, and collided with a truck approaching from behind. The accident resulted in injuries to the passenger car driver and significant damage to the vehicle.

According to many residents living along the road, since National Highway 1A was upgraded and widened, the road has become more beautiful and spacious, making traffic flow more convenient. However, the problem of speeding and reckless overtaking has not decreased, especially among passenger buses. Mr. Le Dinh Thuc, a resident of Hamlet 14, Dien An Commune, said: “Because there are no clearly defined lanes for each type of vehicle, overtaking on the right is very common. In addition, the situation of drivers stopping and parking freely without warning signals, including many trucks, affects the visibility of drivers on the road, especially at night.”

Homemade signs made of bamboo and wood on the median strip, erected by residents after removing the rigid median strip on the road through Dien Hong commune (Dien Chau district), are illegal and pose a potential risk of traffic accidents. (Photo taken on March 28, 2015)

According to Lieutenant Colonel Le Hong Son, Deputy Head of the Dien Chau Traffic Police Station, in all recent traffic accidents and collisions on the route, the cause has been the lack of awareness of traffic laws among road users. Common traffic violations include speeding, overloading passengers, and driving under the influence of alcohol. “Although there are many speed limit signs along the route, many vehicles ignore them, driving at high speeds, including passenger buses. Many vehicles also overtake recklessly and drive in the wrong lane. Furthermore, on many sections passing through densely populated areas, there are numerous shops and stalls encroaching on the road and sidewalks, further complicating traffic conditions.”

On the other hand, the awareness of residents living along National Highway 1A also greatly affects traffic safety. Since the highway was upgraded and widened, in order to reduce traffic accidents, authorities have installed concrete median barriers and added iron mesh on top to prevent pedestrians from climbing over. Recently, some households living along the road have arbitrarily removed the anti-glare mesh on the median barriers for convenience when crossing the road, despite the danger to their lives and the resulting traffic safety hazards. The reason for this removal, besides some poorly designed intersections, is mainly due to the limited awareness of road users. Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, a resident of Dien Hong commune, said: "The removal of barriers and concrete median barriers by some people to cross the road greatly increases the risk of accidents. Many motorcyclists, due to the reluctance to go around, drive into the opposite lane, which is very dangerous." By this time, many of the wire mesh panels have been reinstalled by residents, but some sections still need to be repaired.

A long section of the guardrail on the median strip in Dien Hong commune (Dien Chau district) has been dismantled and has not yet been reinstalled. This situation is common in Dien Chau district (photo taken on March 28, 2015).

According to regulations, after land clearance, there should be a 2-meter white space from the outer edge of the road embankment. Road signs should be buried 50cm from the outer edge, leaving 1.5 meters for signage. However, in many sections passing through densely populated areas, advertising signs and houses obscure traffic signs. For example, in the towns of Cau Giat (Quynh Luu), Dien Chau (Dien Chau), and Quan Hanh (Nghi Loc), residents brazenly place advertising signs and display goods for sale on the roadside, even onto the road itself, obscuring traffic signs and posing significant dangers to pedestrians, vehicles, and residents. Furthermore, in some sections of Hamlet 15, Nghi Yen Commune (Nghi Loc), Hamlet 14, Dien An Commune, and the Bung Bridge Junction, Dien Ky Commune (Dien Chau), residents have built houses and fences right next to the road embankment, completely obscuring the road signs. Not only are traffic signs obscured, but the practice of people placing advertisements and displaying goods for sale along the roadside also creates a habit of buying and selling right on the road, causing traffic congestion.

To mitigate the risk of traffic accidents on National Highway 1A after its upgrade and expansion, according to Mr. Vo Minh Duc, Chief of the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee Office, local authorities at all levels along National Highway 1A need to intensify efforts in campaigning, disseminating, and educating the public on traffic safety laws to raise awareness and consciousness; and be more decisive in handling and clearing encroachments on traffic safety corridors. Traffic police and transport inspectors also need to strengthen inspections, controls, and strictly handle violations such as speeding, reckless driving, illegal parking, drunk driving, and overloading. In addition, the Department of Transport will coordinate with relevant agencies to survey and identify shortcomings in the signage system and traffic organization for rectification. In particular, the Party Committee and the government of Dien Chau district need to seriously recognize the existing problems on National Highway 1 passing through the area, namely the situation where people arbitrarily dismantle the median strip to create access points, and erect bamboo and wooden signposts on the median strip, especially in Dien Hong commune. They must urgently rectify this situation to restore traffic safety order in the area.

Minh Quan