Traffic accidents major cause of death in a prosperous Vietnam
HANOI - Traffic accidents over the long lunar new year weekend killed at least 387 Vietnamese, a death roll that was 50 percent higher than the previous year, local media reported Thursday.
Most of the deaths were due to road crashes, while six railway accidents - including a train hitting a motorbike - killed seven people and six waterway mishaps killed five between Feb 15 and 21, Nhan Dan newspaper reported.
The paper cited increased travel and also alcohol consumption over the holiday for the increased number of deaths in the country of 84 million people.
The holiday season around lunar new year, known as Tet in Vietnam, is the busiest travelling time of the year, with millions taking to roads or travelling by air or train to return to their home villages or go on vacation.
The number of deaths were higher this Tet season. Statistics showed that 43 people per day died over the long holiday weekend in 2006 while this year it was 64 deaths per day - an increase of 50 percent.
Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death in Vietnam, with an average of 36 people killed each day on the roads as the country's new prosperity leads to greater numbers of motorbikes and cars.
Last year, some 13,000 people died on Vietnam's roads, railways and waterways. Safety advocates say that the number of deaths could be cut if more motorbike drivers wore helmets.
Only three per cent now wear helmets even though motorbikes account for up to 90 percent of vehicles on the roads, according to the Asian Injury Prevention Foundation.
Deutsche Presse Agentur - February 22, 2007.
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