Hanoi (VNA) – As many as 3,465 trafficaccidents occurred across the country in the first two months of this year,leaving 1,570 dead and 2,660 injured, an official has said.

Khuat Viet Hung, Vice Chairman of the NationalCommittee for Traffic Safety, told on conference reviewing the work on trafficorder and safety in Hanoi on March 17 that both the numbers of trafficaccidents and casualties decreased from the same period last year.

However, Hung warnedthat there remained an occurrence of serious road and railway accidents,arousing public concerns.

In addition, anincreasing number of violations regarding overloaded transport were reported inmine-rich provinces such as Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Ha Nam, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa andNghe An and cities with many underway construction projects including Hanoi andDa Nang.

Authoritiesdetected and imposed fines on more than 21,800 overloaded transport cases fromDecember 18 to February 18, he added.

To reduce thenumbers of traffic accidents and casualties by 5-10 percent, Deputy PrimeMinister Truong Hoa Binh, who also doubles as Chairman of the NationalCommittee for Traffic Safety, requested ministries, sectors and localities to improveregulations on safety of traffic infrastructure and vehicles, responsibilityand ethics of drivers as well as punishments levied on violators.

For the urgenttasks in the second quarter of 2017, Binh asked the Ministries of PublicSecurity and Transport to tighten control over coaches that operates illegally,transport explosive materials and prohibited goods, out-of-date vehicles andcars owned by state agencies that violate traffic law.-VNA