96 killed in road accidents during five-day holiday
A total of 135 road accidents occurred from April 27 to May 1, left 96 dead and 96 injured according to a report by the National Traffic Safety Committee.
26 road accidents occurred on May 1 alone, killing 16 and injuring 17 people. There were two railway accidents with two deaths, the report said.
The report also said that drunk-driving, speeding, overloading and dangerous driving across lanes were commonplace during the holiday. The committee blamed low-quality bus services for a number of accidents.
The traffic police dealt with a total of 11,968 violations during the holiday and collected nearly VND15.3bn (USD657,000) in fines. They also seized 138 cars, 2,288 motorbikes and 2,274 personal papers.
Thanks to the hotlines, the police received many reports from the public about overloading and overcharging on passenger buses. The National Traffic Safety Committee also received public reports via their hotline and quickly asked agencies to inspect and deal with violators. A bus on Hanoi-Yen Bai route carried 31 more people than permitted and was fined VND40m. Another bus on Hanoi-Thanh Hoa route carried 19 more people than its capacity and was fined VND15m (USD644).
Due to the increased number of vehicles, main routes in and out of Hanoi and HCM City had seen severe congestions on the first and last days of the holiday. Popular tourist destinations such as Danang, Ha Long, Da Lat and Nha Trang also witnessed more congestion.