The Deputy Prime Minister launched the 2017 Road Safety Year.

On the morning of January 4th, in Hanoi, Politburo member and Standing Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, attended and delivered a keynote speech at the launching ceremony for the 2017 Traffic Safety Year.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh delivers a speech at the launching ceremony of the 2017 Road Safety Year. Photo: VGP/Le Son

Attending the launch ceremony were Minister of Transport Truong Quang Nghia - Standing Vice Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung, leaders of central ministries and agencies, Hanoi City, and a large number of functional forces.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Standing Deputy Prime Minister emphasized: In recent years, under the leadership of the Party and the decisive and coordinated efforts of the entire political system, traffic safety has seen many positive changes. Continuously from 2011 to the end of 2016, traffic accidents were reduced in all three criteria: the number of incidents, the number of deaths, and the number of injuries; traffic congestion in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City has been gradually overcome.

Entering 2017, with continued strong economic growth and increasingly deep international integration, the demand for transportation, the number of vehicles, and the diversity of road users will continue to increase, creating significant challenges for ensuring traffic safety. Therefore, the National Traffic Safety Committee has developed the 2017 Traffic Safety Year program with the theme "Building a traffic culture among young people" with the spirit of "Human life is paramount," aiming to reduce the number of traffic accidents, deaths, and injuries by 5-10% compared to 2016.

At the launch ceremony, on behalf of the Prime Minister, the Standing Deputy Prime Minister requested the National Traffic Safety Committee, ministries, agencies, organizations, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities to thoroughly understand and effectively implement the key tasks for 2017.

That is, to continue effectively implementing Directive No. 18 of the Party Central Committee on strengthening the Party's leadership over traffic safety and order, and overcoming traffic congestion; linking the results of traffic safety and order work with the responsibility of the heads of ministries, sectors, localities, and units. The guiding principle for directing and managing traffic safety and order in 2017 is "Regular, timely, practical, and decisive".

Enhance the effectiveness of state management and the efficiency of public service enforcement in ensuring traffic safety and order, focusing on the following areas: transport management; driver training and licensing; vehicle inspection; and patrol and control. Strengthen the safety of transportation infrastructure, primarily by thoroughly addressing traffic safety black spots on national and provincial roads; at intersections between secondary and main roads, railway crossings, and potential accident locations on waterways.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh emphasized the need to strengthen inspections, patrols, and controls; and to strictly, fairly, and resolutely handle behaviors that pose a high risk of traffic accidents, such as speeding; driving under the influence of alcohol; passenger buses picking up and dropping off passengers illegally on highways; and overloading vehicles.

Innovate and improve the effectiveness of disseminating and educating the public about traffic safety laws, and build a traffic culture among all citizens, especially young people, ethnic minorities, people in remote areas, and the poor.

"In particular, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union must take the lead in developing a specific action program to implement the theme 'Building a traffic culture among young people,' minimizing traffic accidents involving young people," the Deputy Prime Minister stated.

To facilitate travel for the public during the Lunar New Year and spring festivals of the Year of the Rooster, the Deputy Prime Minister requested ministries, sectors, and localities to seriously implement Prime Minister's Directive No. 2239/CĐ-TTg on ensuring traffic order and safety during the Lunar New Year and spring festivals of 2017. In particular, they should ensure the quality of passenger transport services, regulate and prevent traffic congestion, and strictly inspect and handle violations of traffic order and safety.

According to Chinhphu.vn