Transport Minister Dinh La Thang and other officials from the National Transport Safety Committee on Nov 9 visited several traffic accident victims in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The visits are part of the activities to mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Nov 19. The event was first celebrated nationally by RoadPeace in 1993 and has been observed and promoted worldwide by several non-governmental organizations since.

At Viet-Duc Hospital in Hanoi, Thang personally talked to and provided financial support for five accident victims with brain trauma and multiple injuries.

The minister and Nguyen Hoang Hiep, vice chair of the National Transport Safety Committee, also visited and provided encouragement to families of those who died in traffic accidents in Hanoi and the northern Thai Nguyen province.

The committee also launched several visits to dead victims’ families in several localities, provided 81 victims and families with VND2 million (US$94) each and built two houses for two families.

In Thang’s recent report to the National Assembly, he predicted a 5% drop in traffic accidents regarding the number of cases, casualties and injuries by this year end.

The country has held several campaigns to raise the awareness of traffic safety among locals, especially youths and students, and has come up with measures to deal with the alarming traffic situation and accidents.

From Dec 2012 to Oct 2013, 24,369 traffic accidents happened nationwide, killing 7,812 and injuring 24,387 others. Around 102 people on average around the country never make it home or get injured every day.