Vietnam will mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on November 19 through various activities which will help enhance compliance with traffic rules and reduce traffic accidents, said Nguyen Hoang Hiep, deputy chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC). The memorial day is held on the third Sunday of November each year. It is a day to remember those who have died or were injured in road crashes and the plight of their loved ones who must cope with the consequences of their deaths or injuries. This year the special day falls on November 18, but Vietnam will mark the event one day later, November 19. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, chairman of the NTSC, has directed the committee to devise a plan for the organization of activities to welcome the day on November 11. Accordingly, a memorial ceremony will be held from 8-9:30 pm in Hanoi and will be broadcast live on Vietnam Television (VTV). Along with the ceremony, a requiem will also be conducted for road traffic victims by the committee in conjunction with relevant agencies. The NTSC has asked the Ministry of Transport to direct its units in all provinces and cities to coordinate with local traffic safety committees to launch activities to mark the day of remembrance. It has also proposed that all schools nationwide give one minute of silence for road traffic victims at their routine flag saluting ceremony on the morning of November 12.

On November 20, 2011, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General, sent a message on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. It read, “Each day, nearly 3,500 people die on the roads. Tens of thousands more are injured. Families are broken apart. The futures of young people are dashed. Road accidents have become the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 29. This is an unacceptable price to pay for mobility…”

The scene of a deadly traffic accident thatocured recentely in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai province (Photo: Tuoi Tre) 

5-10% death toll reduction targeted The celebration of the day is aimed at warning the public against traffic tragedies and their causes and its risks in Vietnam; enhancing the entire people’s awareness of compliance with traffic regulations and traffic accident prevention; strengthening responsibilities of relevant agencies in traffic management; and gathering sympathy and support from communities for traffic victims and their families. All activities to mark the Day will also contribute to the implementation of the national Assembly’s goad to reduce traffic accidents by 5-10 percent in 2012, the committee said. The activities surrounding this day are also part of the program “Decade of Actions for Road Safety 2011-2020,” which began in May this year and has the goal of saving five million lives through a global plan that provides a framework for governments, civil society and the private sector to work together to improve road management, upgrade the safety of roads and vehicles, and educate drivers, passengers and pedestrians on safe behavior, the committee said. From October 19 to November 19, a safety campaign will be conducted with the theme “Safe every time, happy everywhere”. The campaign will help improve public awareness about compliance with traffic regulations, provide the main causes of traffic and accidents and how to prevent them, and call for support of traffic victims. Visits to traffic victim’s families, especially those who are poor, will be carried out from November 10 -19 by social organizations, businesses and benefactors. Nguyen Ngoc Tuong, deputy head of NTSC, said the commemoration of this day is of great significance since the country is striving to reduce traffic accidents, which have taken 7,000 lives since the beginning of this year. The figure is smaller than in the same period last year, but it still represents a great loss to society, Tuong added.

Nguyen Van Hai, a man in Son Tay Town, Hanoi, holds his granddaughter whose both parents died in a traffic accident (Photo: Tuoi Tre)