Nearly 60 killed in traffic accidents over Vietnam's national holiday

A total of 58 people died and another 58 were injured in traffic accidents during Vietnam's National Day holiday, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.

A speeding cab hit a motorbike, killing one person on the first day of the holiday. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Cuong.

Many of the victims were motorbike drivers who were speeding, carrying too many passengers, not wearing crash helmets or drunk, the committee said.

During the three-day holiday, traffic police dealt with over 9,100 traffic violations and issued fines totaling over VND6 billion ($264,000). They also seized 65 cars, 997 motorbikes and revoked 667 driving licenses.

Traffic accidents remain the biggest single cause of fatalities in Vietnam despite efforts to make the roads safer.

On average, one person dies every hour in a road accident in Vietnam. The country is trying to reduce road traffic fatalities to fewer than 20 per day, or 7,300 per year.

Traffic congestion, inadequate law enforcement, poor driving and bad street conditions are often cited as the main causes of road deaths.