Traffic black spots on mountain passes haunt drivers

The incident of a passenger bus carrying a group of students from Kien Giang to the Central region overturned on Hai Van Pass at km898+200 (6km from the top of Hai Van Pass) on National Highway 1A (in Lang Co town, Phu Loc district, Thua Thien - Hue) shocked everyone.

Hai Van PassHai Van Pass is a winding mountain pass with steep slopes and many sharp turns, which is a significant obstacle for long-distance drivers who are not familiar with the pass or are at risk of slipping, losing their brakes, or breaking down their vehicles. There are many "black spots" on Hai Van Pass and many very serious traffic accidents have occurred.

Immediately after the accident, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The requested the General Department of Roads to coordinate with Deo Ca Company (the unit managing and operating the Hai Van tunnel) to remove the "black spot" on Hai Van Pass in 2019.

However, not only Hai Van Pass, but also many other mountain passes across the country have become a nightmare, considered a "death door" for drivers.

National Highway 6 through Hoa BinhNearly 120 km long, this is the main route from the plains to the Northwestern provinces. The Hoa Binh - Son La section previously had up to 10 "black spots" of traffic accidents at the locations Km99 + 800, Km126 + 300 - Km126 + 900, Km127 + 300 - Km127 + 800...

And Cun Slope or Thung Khe Passare the names that drivers mention every time they pass through National Highway 6 in Hoa Binh. With steep terrain, many curves, poor visibility, and high mountains with a lot of fog, there is always a potential risk of traffic insecurity.

National Highway 3 from Bac Kan to Cao Bangfamous in the long-distance driving world for its "death passes" with a series of black spots that claim the lives of dozens of people each year.

Windy Pass(Km 198 - Km 213) is long, dangerously steep, with many curves, steep slopes, and small radiuses. Khau Khang Pass (Km 213 - Km 225) also has equally dangerous terrain with many curves, steep slopes, and small radiuses.

Cao Bac Pass, in particular, Km 300 + 280 (Keao Put Pass, section through Tra Linh District, Cao Bang) is also a black spot for accidents, with many consecutive curves. This location is located halfway up the slope, has a large longitudinal slope, small curves, and has had many accidents.

Due to the steep mountainous terrain and the lack of synchronous investment in traffic infrastructure, whenever Lai Chau is mentioned, long-distance drivers are afraid of the dangerous mountain passes and hairpin bends. The "black spot" where traffic accidents have frequently occurred in recent times in Lai Chau province, which is most feared by long-distance drivers, is km 38+500 onNational Highway 4D, in San Thang 2 village, San Thang commune, Lai Chau city.

This is a traffic point belonging toGiang Ma Passhas steep terrain, sharp turns, narrow road surface, obstructed vision and frequent accidents over the years.

In the Northwest, there are roads known as death roads because of both the danger of steep passes and the frequent witnessing of tragic accidents.

Of the four highest passes, the most winding and dangerous roads in the North, the Northwest accounts for three passes including:Pha Din (Dien Bien), Khau Pha (Yen Bai) and O Quy Ho (Lao Cai),with many dangerous slopes.

Lo Xo Passis also one of the most dangerous and worrying roads for drivers, especially at night. Lo Xo Pass in Dak Glei District, Kon Tum Province is about 27km long, passing through high mountains, deep ravines, steep slopes, winding roads, and many times of the day covered in fog.

Recently, although traffic safety systems such as markers, signs, guardrail systems... on the route have been invested, many serious traffic accidents still occur continuously.

Khanh Le Pass(QL27C), from Nha Trang to Da Lat, is also a "black spot" for drivers. Nearly 30 km through Khanh Le Pass, there are 12 unsafe traffic spots. Although there are a series of warning signs on mountain passes and dangerous sharp turns, the hairpin bends on the pass always pose a potential safety risk to drivers...

Traffic accidents are always lurking on the road.Ca PassLocated on National Highway 1A at the border between Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa provinces, Ca Pass is more than 12 km long and has been marked by traffic police as having dozens of "accident black spots".

This is a dangerous mountain pass in the Central region. In recent years, vehicles passing through the pass have been haunted by overturns and traffic accidents. The most common points for overturns on Ca Pass are: Km1259+636, Km1259+400, Km1357…

Above are some dangerous mountain passes, where traffic accidents often occur. In addition, across the country, there are many other mountain passes and slopes that are also "roads of death", haunting drivers and passengers.

Since 2017, the Vietnam Road Administration has invested funds to handle over 400 traffic accident “black spots” on the national highway system. The Vietnam Road Administration has coordinated with localities to study cutting curves, expanding visibility, combining emergency parking locations for vehicles along the route, building refuge roads, and constructing guardrails with various structures suitable for terrain conditions.

However, up to now, there are still 230 "black spots" and 550 potential traffic accident spots, especially black spots on mountain passes, which are becoming a "nightmare" for long-distance drivers and need to be urgently addressed.