Review of suspension bridges and weak bridges nationwide.

This was the directive given by Politburo member and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, at the nationwide online conference on ensuring traffic safety in the first quarter of 2014, held on the morning of February 25th.

Overview of the online conference

At the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, on behalf of the National Traffic Safety Committee, extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the recent suspension bridge collapse in Chu Va 6 village, Son Binh commune, Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province.

Providing support and assistance to victims of the bridge collapse in Lai Chau.

The Deputy Prime Minister instructed the leaders of Lai Chau province and other provinces nationwide to urgently inspect and review all suspension bridges and weak bridges in their localities, report to the competent authorities, and propose solutions. Lai Chau province should pay attention to supporting the families of those who died in the recent bridge collapse and ensure good treatment for the injured.

The Deputy Prime Minister also requested the police to conduct a swift, serious, and accurate investigation into the cause of this tragic accident in order to take strict and thorough measures to address the issue.

According to Le Trong Quang, Vice Chairman of the Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee, the province is urgently mobilizing doctors and medical equipment to treat the injured and provide support and condolences to the families of those who died.

On the morning of February 25th, doctors from Bach Mai and Viet Duc hospitals traveled to Lai Chau by helicopter along with other modern equipment, which will allow for better and faster treatment of the injured victims.

Preventing traffic accidents involving passenger buses, heavy trucks, and container trucks.

Representatives from Quang Binh province stated that before, during, and after the Lunar New Year, the province regularly inspected and strictly dealt with hundreds of overloaded passenger buses, collecting nearly 4 billion VND in fines for violations, thereby significantly contributing to reducing traffic accidents and congestion during that period.

According to Hai Phong city leaders, the city has directed serious checks and tests on drivers involved in drug use, and has disqualified hundreds of drivers involved in this to ensure the safety of people's lives and property.

Regarding key tasks and specific solutions for the coming period, the National Traffic Safety Committee has proposed tightening control over transportation business operations and vehicle load limits, primarily to prevent particularly serious accidents involving passenger buses, heavy trucks, and container trucks.

Effectively control drivers who consume alcohol; establish regulations prohibiting officials and civil servants from driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as prohibiting alcohol consumption during lunchtime and working hours.

In particular, a nationwide crackdown on drug use by drivers will be implemented rigorously, resulting in the permanent revocation of driving licenses for those involved. Simultaneously, a plan to reduce traffic accidents in rural areas will be developed and implemented.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc delivered a speech at the conference.

Punishment for drivers under the influence of drugs; driving under the influence of alcohol is strictly prohibited.

In his concluding remarks at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasized that while the traffic accident situation has improved significantly recently, it remains serious, causing public concern and leaving immense pain for families of victims, as well as a burden on society.

Therefore, in the coming period, it is necessary to effectively patrol and control drivers who are addicted to drugs or who drive under the influence of alcohol; and strictly prohibit officials and civil servants from drinking alcohol at lunchtime.

All localities must implement specific plans to ensure traffic safety and order in rural areas.

The Vietnam Road Administration needs to immediately put into operation the Integrated Data Center for information from vehicle tracking devices to manage, warn, prevent, and minimize traffic accidents, especially serious accidents involving passenger vehicles, by March 2014.

The National Traffic Safety Committee and the Ministry of Transport are strengthening their direction to all localities to inspect road transport operations, coordinating with the health sector to conduct simultaneous checks on drivers involved in drug use in order to eliminate these drivers, and developing specific regulations for this group.

The Ministry of Public Security and provincial police forces need to strengthen regular patrols and inspections to strictly handle violations related to overloading, oversized vehicles, and exceeding the prescribed number of passengers. There should be no negligence in patrolling and inspecting traffic safety in rural areas, as this remains a "gap" in traffic patrol and control efforts.

Local authorities need to intensify their public awareness campaigns through mass media to improve understanding and bring about concrete changes in the actions of the public and road users. At the same time, they should criticize and publicize cases of traffic violations by officials and civil servants to educate and deter them more effectively.

Regarding routes with expansion projects (such as National Highway 1A), the Deputy Prime Minister requested that localities expedite land clearance to ensure timely completion; during construction, it is essential to ensure that traffic congestion and accidents do not occur on these routes.

According to chinhphu.vn