Traffic accidents claim 96 lives during national holidays

According to the National Traffic Safety Commission, there were a total of 135 road accidents through the holiday period, which left 96 dead and a further 96 injured. In addition to this, two people lost their lives in railway accidents.

Khuat Viet Hung, vice chairman of the committee, noted that the average number of fatal cases that took place during the five-day holiday was 19.2 people per day, slightly lower than the same period last year which saw 19.75 people per day lose their lives.

May 1 was the deadliest day of the holiday period, with 26 road accidents taking place nationwide, killing 16 people and injuring a further 17 others.

Hung added that during the five days, traffic police dealt with a total of 11,968 traffic violations, collected fines totaling over VND15.2 billion. In addition police were able to detain 138 automobiles, 2,288 motorbikes, and 2,274 different kinds of papers.

On May 1 alone police forces took on over 2,512 cases of road traffic violations. They were able to collect a total of VND2.5 billion in fines whilst detaining 27 automobiles, 442 motorcycles, and 423 different kinds of papers.

According to the National Traffic Safety Commission, travel demand increased significantly during the long holiday, leading to heavy congestion. Some key routes such as national highways, belt roads, and main streets in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City suffered severe gridlock during the first day and last day of the holiday.