Traffic safety efforts in 2025 reviewed, priorities set for 2026

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà on January 6 chaired a national conference reviewing traffic safety performance in 2025 and outlining key tasks for 2026.

Vice Chairman of the Quảng Ngãi Provincial People’s Committee Nguyễn Công Hoàng and representatives of local departments joined the meeting via a video link.

According to the National Traffic Safety Committee, traffic safety work in 2025 was implemented consistently and decisively under the leadership of the Party, the supervision of the National Assembly, and the strong direction of the Government and the Prime Minister.

Notably, 2025 marked the first year the new legal framework on road traffic order and safety was applied nationwide, bringing a clear shift from institutional completion to strict enforcement.

Ministries, sectors and localities rolled out comprehensive measures within their mandates, stepped up the application of science and technology, intensified communication and legal education, and combined infrastructure improvements with traffic organisation and digital-based enforcement.

Management and direction became more focused, targeting high-risk behaviours through clear legal grounds, data-driven approaches and inter-agency coordination.

Nationwide, more than 18,600 traffic accidents, including 27 particularly serious cases, occurred across road, rail and inland waterway transport in 2025, down over 22 per cent year-on-year.

Death toll declined in 25 provinces and cities, with four localities — Quảng Ninh, Đà Nẵng, Quảng Ngãi and Lào Cai — recording reductions of over 20 per cent.

Functional forces handled nearly 3.4 million traffic violations, issuing fines totalling almost VNĐ6.8 trillion.

More than 215,000 driving licences and professional certificates were revoked, points were deducted in over 390,000 cases, and more than 840,000 vehicles were temporarily seized.

Investment, maintenance and operation of transport infrastructure were carried out in a coordinated manner, with many key projects completed and put into use, particularly newly finished expressways, contributing to improved traffic conditions and reduced accidents and congestion.

Vehicle registration and inspection were tightened. In 2025, over 590,000 cars and 2.6 million motorbikes were newly registered nationwide, bringing the totals to nearly 7.5 million cars and more than 79 million motorbikes.

The inspection system remained basically stable, meeting demand and promptly identifying substandard vehicles.

Administrative reform continued, with many procedures for vehicle registration, driver testing, licensing and inspection simplified and delivered via the online public service portal.

The deployment of thousands of AI-powered cameras in Hà Nội and along major transport corridors enhanced monitoring and enforcement capacity.

Communication and legal education on traffic safety were implemented in diverse and targeted forms, closely aligned with new regulations.

Concluding the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà praised the efforts of ministries, sectors and localities, and urged continued strong action to improve the quality of training, testing and certification of transport personnel.

He also called for stricter vehicle inspection and safety assessment, timely remediation of infrastructure shortcomings, tighter control of passenger and freight transport operations, and tougher handling of violations.

Enhanced traffic safety education for road users, with closer coordination between schools and families, was also stressed.

M.H