Poor traffic safety awareness has been blamed for the accidents plaguing the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Highway, according to Do Chi Chung from Vietnam Expressway Company, the highway's investor.
An accident on the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Highway
A video clip posted online on March 8 showed a bus running on wrong lane narrowly missing on-coming vehicles. The National Traffic Safety Committee asked local authorities to find the bus and apply punishment accordingly.
Last year, there were four serious accidents on the highway which killed six and injured two people. In February 26, a driver lost control of a passenger bus after a turn, hit the barrier and caused the bus to turn over. Six out of 10 passengers were injured.
Do Chi Chung said that the company often had to repair the barriers damaged by people who let their cattle wander onto the road. He often cited problems with locals who stand dangerously on the side of the road to wait for buses or try to cross the road with their vehicles. At some location, the barriers have been repaired up to 14 to 18 times. After the highway was opened to traffic on September 21, 2014, many people opened food stalls along the way, sometimes using the road. Vehicles, especially buses, often violate parking regulations to pick up passengers.
The company reported and asked local authorities and police to deal with the situation. However, the problem has not been resolved.
The Noi Bai-Lao Cai Highway runs from Hanoi’s Noi Bai through the provinces of Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho and Yen Bai to Lao Cai. It has helped shorten the travel time from Hanoi to Lao Cai to 3.5 hours and eased traffic density on national highways 2, 2B, 32C and 70. It is part of the China’s Kunming-Vietnam’s Hai Phong Transport Corridor and belongs to the Greater Mekong Sub-Region Co-operative Programme that links Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and China.