For a safe and fulfilling Lunar New Year!

Every Lunar New Year, we all travel more, whether it's returning to our hometowns to visit family, shopping for the holiday, seeing friends, or sightseeing. As life becomes more hectic, the number of people on the roads increases. Consequently, traffic safety becomes more complex, leading to concerns about the increased risk of traffic accidents.

The reality is that after every holiday, especially the Lunar New Year, the statistics on traffic accidents, deaths, and injuries released by authorities always shock and sadden many people. For example, during the 9-day Lunar New Year holiday in 2022 (from January 29th to February 6th), there were 216 traffic accidents nationwide, resulting in 121 deaths and 138 injuries. Traffic police and local police forces inspected, detected, and handled 25,723 violations.

Most recently, during the 3-day New Year's holiday in 2023 (from December 31, 2022 to January 2, 2023), 83 traffic accidents occurred nationwide, resulting in 50 deaths and 51 injuries; an increase in both the number of accidents, deaths, and injuries compared to the same period in 2022.

Previously, during the 5 days of the Lunar New Year (Year of the Rat) in 2020, there were 138 traffic accidents resulting in 102 deaths and 108 injuries; during the 7 days of the Lunar New Year (Year of the Ox) in 2021, there were 182 traffic accidents resulting in 109 deaths and 123 injuries…

It's worth noting that these statistics don't fully reflect the reality of traffic safety. This is because these figures only include serious accidents; minor accidents or collisions are not accounted for.

The common denominator in most of these traffic accidents is still the poor awareness of a segment of road users. This includes speeding, reckless overtaking, lane encroachment, driving against the flow of traffic, lack of observation, and failure to comply with speed regulations…

In particular, the problem of driving under the influence of alcohol remains complex and challenging. This is a worrying issue that can lead to serious traffic accidents. According to the National Traffic Safety Committee, alcohol is one of the top three causes of increased traffic accidents in Vietnam. It is estimated that about 40% of accidents and 11% of traffic fatalities are related to alcohol use. On average, about 700 cases of drunk driving violations are processed by authorities nationwide every day. Notably, this number is trending upwards, especially during the period leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year) and even during spring festivals, posing a significant risk.

The consequences of traffic accidents are clear to everyone: irreparable damage to people's health, lives, and property. Many families have been deprived of a complete and joyful Tet holiday reunion, having lost loved ones or requiring hospitalization due to traffic accidents. Many people suffer lifelong disabilities and are unable to work because of traffic accidents. Many families fall into hardship and poverty due to the high cost of treating traffic accident victims and the loss of their working members… These pains and burdens are not just for the families but for society as a whole.

Notably, traffic safety warnings have been issued continuously by authorities at all levels, from the Prime Minister to local leaders and relevant ministries. Specifically, this year, the Prime Minister issued Official Dispatch No. 1174/CĐ-TTg on December 19, 2022, regarding ensuring traffic safety during the New Year, Lunar New Year (Year of the Rabbit), and spring festivals in 2023. In the dispatch, the Prime Minister directed relevant ministries and localities to encourage people and traffic participants to voluntarily comply with traffic safety laws, obey the instructions of law enforcement, and show courtesy and assistance to each other while participating in traffic. They were also instructed to proactively participate in safe traffic and adhere to the principle of "if you have drunk alcohol, do not drive," avoid speeding and reckless overtaking, and not carry more passengers than permitted.

The Prime Minister requested the National Traffic Safety Committee, ministries, agencies, socio- political organizations, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-governed cities to effectively carry out propaganda and education work to encourage the public and traffic participants to voluntarily comply with traffic safety laws; strengthen traffic flow management and regulation; and inspect and handle violations…

As mentioned above, alcohol is a major cause of traffic accidents. Therefore, authorities and the media have long issued numerous warnings such as "Don't drink and drive," "Life is at stake," etc. However, for some people, these seem to be just empty slogans because they... haven't learned their lesson!

Therefore, to maintain peace and security for all families and society, in addition to promoting various forms of propaganda and education to raise public awareness, authorities need to strengthen inspections and strictly penalize cases of drunk driving. Experience from many countries around the world shows that imposing heavy fines, to the point where offenders are afraid to repeat the violation, and others learn from the experience, is the most effective way to prevent traffic violations. Especially, we must say "no" to any interference or influence in the process of handling violations in order to uphold the rule of law.

With only a few days left until the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit 2023, to minimize traffic accidents, in addition to the involvement of relevant authorities, it is crucial that each citizen raises their awareness and commitment to complying with traffic laws. This will ensure that the journey home and during the Lunar New Year celebrations are filled with laughter, joy, and happiness, rather than the constant worry of traffic accidents.

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