K. Viet Hung, L.T. Huyen / IATSS Re

K. Viet Hung, L.T. Huyen / IATSS Research 34 (2011) 87–93



Accidents Fatality Injury













Fig. 1. Road Traffic Accidents in Vietnam (1990–2006).
Source: National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC).


0.17 in Thailand and 0.02 in Malaysia (2000). Fairly constant fatalities
from 2002 to 2006, in contrast to rapidly declining accidents and
injuries in the same period, also point to statistical inconsistency.
Significant under-reporting of accidents and injuries are suspected,
relative to the number of fatalities, which should be more reliable.
Table 1 shows the composition of traffic accidents by cause from
2002 to 2006. Most road traffic accidents in Vietnam are caused by
road users' errors, among which speeding is the primary cause,
accounting for 25%. Road infrastructure, especially national highways,
has improved significantly in the last decade, but drivers' mindsets
have not changed accordingly. As a result, road users tend to speed up
on highways with relatively little traffic. Unsafe overtaking by trucks,
buses and passenger cars expose low-speed vehicles, such as
motorcycles and bicycles, to great risk in a mixed traffic situation.
Under these circumstances, strict enforcement of traffic rules and
effective traffic education of road users are crucial in reducing traffic
accidents. In addition, physical measures such as improvement of
surface conditions, paving of shoulders, re-designing of roads, and
installation of traffic signs and signals are also necessary.
However, so far, research on unsafe behaviors in Vietnam just stops
at using statistical data from analyzing police accident reports, though
the original documents are normally very difficult to access due to
security and legislation issues. Moreover, analysis results from accident
reports depend very much on subjective and qualitative evaluations,
forcing traffic engineering experts to use only secondary data.
There may be several reasons leading to a traffic accident.
Inadequate infrastructure network is now considered to be one of
the biggest reasons for traffic accidents. However, the problem is to
find out whether it is worth investing in constructing and/or
upgrading road networks. Sometimes, newly-built roads allow drivers
to reach very high speeds, resulting in more serious traffic accidents.
Almost other related elements in the whole road traffic system (such


Table 1
Traffic accidents by cause (2002–2006).
Source: Road and Rail Transport Division, MOPS.

Causes Proportion (%)

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

1. Speeding 24.4 24.1 26.0 25.8 24.8
2. Unsafe overtaking 18.9 16.8 15.8 12.7 13.7
3. Unsafe lane shifting 17.0 17.6 16.5 16.7 18.0
4. Turning without turn signal 4.1 3.4 2.4 1.6 1.7
5. Crossing intersection on red signal 1.1 0.1 1.7 0.6 0.2
6. Not keeping safe distance 6.9 0.9 2.4 1.8 0.4
7. Careless driving 15.9 12.1 8.1 10.0 8.2
8. Careless crossing of pedestrians 0.7 2.3 2.9 3.2 2.6
9. Others 11.0 22.7 24.2 27.6 30.4


as public transport, vehicle quality, traffic management and opera-
tion) are facing such inappropriate problems with the significant
increase in demand for mobility. The current unbalanced state of the
traffic system can be seen in the amount of traffic congestion and
serious accidents. At the moment, road users in Vietnam are also not
qualified enough to adapt to the current situation of modern and
advanced developments in the road traffic system.
Traditional methodologies mostly focus on single effects of causal
parameters of unsafe traffic situations. For example, in most of
statistical reports on traffic safety in Vietnam, it is written “Speeding
behavior has the highest percentage in all causes of traffic conflicts
and/or accidents.” However, in most cases traffic accidents are not the
result of just a single reason. If a driver drives at a very high speed, but
he concentrates very much on his task of driving, and if there is no
unexpected obstacle (a crossing vehicle, road sliding surface, etc.),
then the probability of a traffic conflict or accident is rather low (may
be equal to zero). Analyzing the impacts different parameters have on
traffic safety as well as their interacting effects can be clarified only by
the modular structural approach of risk-based methodologies.


2. Behaviors of violating traffic regulations

Causes of road traffic accidents include a high increase of
registered vehicles, irrelevant infrastructure (as the mobility demand
increases at a rapid pace), dangerous mixed traffic flow, traffic safety
education and training without expected results, and irregular
enforcement. It is reported that many serious accidents are caused
by mixed traffic flow (with participants of different types of vehicles
of varying sizes), in which drivers drive in the wrong lane, causing
delays in average traffic flow speed as well as reducing road traffic
capacity. Among those factors, driver behavior is reported to be the
main cause of traffic accidents. Road user error includes speeding,
unsafe overtaking, drunk driving, poor road observation, and misuse
of lanes and pedestrian behavior.
The National Traffic Safety Committee has estimated an annual
average of 11,909 fatalities due to road traffic accidents in Vietnam
which is equivalent to 33 deaths every day. Human error is deemed to
be the major contributing factor to road traffic accidents. Recent
statistical records from the police and NTSC indicating personal injury
accidents (an accident that occurred with no involvement of a second
or third party) have been significantly increasing as well as the
number of traffic violations. Reports from the conclude that the major
cause leading to traffic accidents is the fact that traffic participants
disobey traffic rules and regulations especially in respect to traffic
safety and operation management. The number of accidents due to
technical safety of vehicles is under 1%, while those due to
infrastructure is approximately 1.8%. Unsafe behavior of traffic
participants causes nearly 97%, whereas 73% are from motorcyclists.
Automobile drivers cause 24% of accident cases, but most are
particularly serious (from interprovincial buses, container trucks,
etc.).
Interestingly, while the number of violators has gradually
decreased in urban cities (e.g., the majority of motorcycle riders in
Hanoi now wear helmets after enforcement of the helmet law took
effect on December 15, 2007), the number of violators in suburban
and remote or mountainous areas has increased. This therefore only
proves that law enforcement is the key element in controlling traffic
violation. But at the same time, traffic safety education plays an
essential role in the enhancement of traffic safety measures.
Based on analyzing the current situation and collecting experts'
opinions (as mentioned above), a survey on driver attitudes towards
legislation was conducted in Vietnam in September, 2008, in order to
determinethecauses of suchtraffic ruleviolations. The survey brings to
light two attitudes: that of imitation, and the tendency to avoid
congestions.

ผลลัพธ์ (ไทย) 3:

K . Viet Hung , แอล. ที. เ ียน / iatss วิจัย 34 ( 2011 ) 87 – 93



อุบัติเหตุการเสียชีวิต บาดเจ็บ













รูปที่ 1 อุบัติเหตุจราจรในเวียดนาม ( 1990 – 2006 ) .
ที่มา : คณะกรรมการความปลอดภัยการจราจรแห่งชาติ ( NTSC )


0.17 ในประเทศไทยและ 0.02 ในมาเลเซีย ( 2000 )
เสียชีวิตค่อนข้างคงที่จาก 2545 ถึง 2549 ในความคมชัดจะลดลงอย่างรวดเร็ว และอุบัติเหตุ
การบาดเจ็บในช่วงเวลาเดียวกันยังจุดไม่แตกต่างกันทางสถิติ
ภายใต้รายงานอุบัติเหตุและการบาดเจ็บจะสงสัย
เมื่อเทียบกับจำนวนของการเสียชีวิต ซึ่งน่าจะเชื่อถือได้มากกว่า
ตารางที่ 1 แสดงองค์ประกอบของการเกิดอุบัติเหตุจราจร โดยสาเหตุจาก
2545 ถึง 2549 อุบัติเหตุจราจรทางถนนในเวียดนามส่วนใหญ่จะเกิดจากข้อผิดพลาดของผู้ใช้
ถนนในหมู่ที่เร่งจะเป็นสาเหตุหลัก
บัญชีสำหรับ 25%ถนนโครงสร้างพื้นฐาน โดยเฉพาะชาติทางหลวง
มีการปรับปรุงอย่างมากในทศวรรษที่ผ่านมา แต่ไดรเวอร์ ' ความตั้งใจ
ไม่เปลี่ยนตาม เป็นผลให้ผู้ใช้ถนนมีแนวโน้มที่จะเพิ่มความเร็วบนทางหลวงที่การจราจรค่อนข้างน้อยด้วย
. ไม่ปลอดภัยแซงโดยรถบรรทุก , รถโดยสารและรถยนต์โดยสาร เปิดเผย

ฯลฯ เช่น รถจักรยานยนต์ และจักรยาน การเสี่ยงอันตรายในสถานการณ์การจราจร
ผสม .