When it comes to hitting the road, it takes more than signs and traffic lights for Vietnamese to abide by traffic laws, as proven in these photos captured by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters.
Though the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) reported that Vietnam wrapped up 2016 with a significant drop in nationwide road deaths compared to 2015, the 8,685 people who lost their lives in traffic accidents in the country over the last 12 months are a painful reminder that Vietnam still has a long way to go before many can consider its roads safe.
Most of the accidents were a direct result of neglecting traffic regulations, either by civilians or law enforcement, according to the NTSC.
Examples of the total disregard for traffic laws are plenty, as recently observed with the test-run of Vietnam’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) line in Hanoi, when the ‘rapid’ buses found themselves inching through a sea of motorbikes and cars seemingly oblivious to the lane dividers on the city’s streets.
Tuoi Tre photojournalists hit the streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday to capture the most iconic examples of reckless driving and jaywalking in the major cities.
A ‘stray market’ springs up on National Route 1 in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, sprawling across half the road, while vehicles roam lawlessly in opposite directions.
A motorbike driver rides in car lanes on Pham Van Dong Boulevard, Ho Chi Minh City.
A man stops in the middle of the road to answer his phone on Truong Chinh Street, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City.
An ice shipper runs a red light at Pham Ngoc Thach - Nguyen Dinh Chieu Intersection in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
Two men ride pass a police officer on the sidewalk in front of the City Hall in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
Two pedestrians help each other over a neck-high lane separator on National Route 13 in Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City.
A man holding his mobile phone while steering his motorbike on the Binh Loi Bridge, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.
Three women sit atop a motorbike without helmets while running a red light at the Xa Dan – O Cho Dua intersection in Hanoi.
A group of motorbike drivers run a red light on Truong Chinh Street, Ho Chi Minh City.
A motorbike driver illegally crosses an overpass before hitting a van at Hang Xanh Intersection in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.
A motorbike rider refuses to make way for an ambulance, leading to a crash between the two vehicles at Hang Xanh Intersection in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.
A group of pedestrians attempt to cross a lane separator amidst darting vehicles on National Route 1 in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City.
A motorbike rider who has run a red light is stuck between streams of moving cars on Dien Bien Phu Street, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.
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