NTSC Executive Vice Chairman Khuat Viet Hung (left) and Yano Takeshi, chairman of VAMM (right) sign a co-operative programme on traffic safety on Thursday.

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — The co-operation between National Traffic Safety Committee and VAMM in 2015 has resulted in numerous contributions towards traffic safety in Viet Nam, NTSC Executive Vice Chairman Khuat Viet Hung said.

During a signing ceremony yesterday inked by the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) and Vietnam Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (VAMM) on a co-operation programme on traffic safety, while announcing achievements within the framework of the programme in 2015, Hung said that it helped to raise the people's awareness on traffic safety.

He noted that the results from the independent and objective scientific research will be the valuable base for proposing solutions to ensure security and safety of traffic. Policy changes should be proposed to improve traffic safety on a national scale.

Outstanding among these changes are results of three important research projects on traffic safety in HCM City and Thai Nguyen province, under the sponsorship of the Fund for Research on Traffic Safety for Motorcycles in Viet Nam of VAMM, he said.

With the message "Together for a safe traffic environment in Viet Nam", NTSC and VAMM have established a sustainable co-operation programme on traffic safety (launched on 4, February, 2015) to jointly conduct research, dissemination and training activities to raise people's awareness in compliance of the road traffic laws, share experiences on management and development of modern urban traffic, reduce traffic accidents involving motorcycles, and improve traffic safety skills for the Vietnamese.

In 2015, VAMM founded the Fund for Research on Traffic Safety for Motorcycles in Viet Nam, which aims to implement research, evaluation and important suggestions about urban traffic management and to resolve traffic safety issues involving motorcycle riders nationwide.

Also at the signing ceremony, Yano Takeshi, chairman of VAMM told participants that with their long-term commitment to Viet Nam's market, they are determined to continue the deployment of useful programmes and activities to improve traffic safety environment in general, and reduce the number of motorcycle accidents in particular.

Besides, VAMM always looks forward to co-ordinating with government departments in sharing experiences, and contributing opinions in building Viet Nam traffic planning and development policies in the near future, in order to provide comprehensive and beneficial solutions for people.

After one year of co-operation, the programme has made many remarkable achievements. Some outstanding results during 2015 were the series of traffic safety propaganda and education programmes to raise awareness about road safety for 1,225,198 students in primary, secondary and high schools, 55,994 youth unionists and university students, and 1,102 officers and traffic police officers. They donated 65,000 standardised motorcycle helmets along with the deployment of 446,431 safe driving instruction programmes for hundreds of thousands of people nationwide. New products and new technology which are safer for users, and friendlier with the environment, were also researched and introduced into the market.

Last year, the Fund for Research on Traffic Safety for Motorcycles in Vietnam", co-founded by VAMM and NTSC, has worked efficiently through the sponsorship for three research projects with the topics: research about ownership and use of motorcycles in HCM city; causes of child traffic accidents and safety measures for children in HCM city; causes of traffic accidents related to motorcycles, and solutions to improve traffic situation in Thai Nguyen.

The research results have provided important statistics on traffic safety for motorcycles in HCM City and Thai Nguyen, and have been the base to propose solutions for traffic safety improvement, a valuable source of references in planning policies and orienting the development of the motorcycle industry in Viet Nam.

Following the positive achievements from the co-operation programme in 2015, VAMM and NTSC have signed another Agreement on Co-operation Programme in response to traffic safety in Viet Nam in 2016.

Accordingly, members of VAMM have shared the action plan for road safety in 2016, affirmed to implement the recommendations given by the three research projects, and announced the funding package of VND1 billion, focussing on the project: "Research on the situation of participating in traffic of high school students in Hanoi and suggestions of improvement solutions". — VNS