175 people killed in Vientiane road accidents

175 people killed in Vientiane road accidents

A total of 175 people died from road accidents in Vientiane during the 2013-14 fiscal year; a major loss of lives when compared to other causes of premature death.

The fatality rate from road accidents has sparked rising concerns across society that the government needs to come up with stronger and concrete measures to deal with the problem.

Vientiane Traffic Police Department unveiled a report this week, saying that despite the number of road accidents and fatalities declining in the capital over the past year, the figure remained unacceptably high.

According to the report, over 1,470 road accidents took place in Vientiane in the 12 months to September 30 with 175 deaths (of which 38 were women and six were foreigners).

The number of road accidents in 2013-14 was 48 less than the previous year and the number of deaths was 27 less than 2012-2013.

Meanwhile the number of injuries for the whole year was recorded at 2,173 and the vehicles damaged from the accidents reported at 2,896, but the report did not include the total cost of damage from the road accidents.

It seems that Vientiane roads have become more and more dangerous as many people drive their vehicles carelessly without respecting the traffic regulations which results in many people dying each year.

Just recently, a 60-year-old man drove his car at high speed and lost control before slamming into the back of a moving truck in Done Noun village of Vientiane's Xaythany district. The accident killed the man instantly.

Another accident took place in Xangkhou village in Vientiane's Xaythany district on September 27 when a motorbike rode at high speed and hit another motorbike coming in the wrong direction. The accident resulted in two people killed and one injured.

Police attributed the main cause of the overall rising number of road accidents and fatalities to drink driving, failure to comply with traffic regulations and speeding. On average, 80 percent of road accidents involve people aged 15 to 44.

Vientiane Police Traffic Advertisement Unit Head Major Bounmark Soundalay told Vientiane Times yesterday that the actions of ill disciplined drivers are the cause of a majority of accidents.

It is common to see large vehicles travelling at high speeds and then overtaking slower traffic with little or no regard for people waiting to turn left or even those in the other lane coming in the opposite direction.

Observers said the enforcement of traffic regulations is very weak in Laos with many people drinking and driving illegally. The awareness of the law is low and law enforcement sectors aren't serious about fining or taking legal action against those violating the traffic rules.

By Somsack Pongkhao
(Latest Update October 3, 2014)

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