THE PRIME MINISTER

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To approve the scheme on enhanced assurance of traffic order and safety up to 2010 (below referred to as the scheme for short), with the following principal contents:

1. Objectives

a/ To improve knowledge and create a sense of voluntary law observance of persons who join in traffic, first of all drivers of means of transport.

b/ To enhance the quality management of means of transport; to raise the capacity of law enforcement forces that assure traffic order and safety; to do away with factors that cause unsafety of traffic infrastructure; and to perfect the organization of traffic;

c/ To perfect the system of legal documents on traffic order and safety; to further improve the mechanism and organization of the apparatus in charge of traffic safety management from the central to grassroots level;

d/ To strive for the target that the number of human deaths caused by traffic accidents will be reduced by 5-7% year on year, and the average number of human deaths per 10,000 road motor vehicles will be reduced from 6.5 to 4.5 by 2010.

2. Guidelines

a/ The work of enhancing the assurance of traffic order and safety must be conducted in a regular and constant manner, with specified focuses and priorities, and suitable to practical conditions and traffic activities of branches and localities.

b/ The work of assuring traffic safety must be conducted in a coordinated, step-by-step, constant, resolute, persistent, long-term and people-centered manner so as to achieve sustainable results.

c/ The work of assuring traffic safety rests with all the people and the entire society, first of all functional state agencies and persons joining in traffic.

3. Tasks

a/ The scheme's tasks are divided into the following groups:

- Perfecting law, mechanisms and policies to enhance assurance of traffic order and safety;

- Enhancing the state management of traffic safety;

- Management of traffic infrastructure;

- Management of means of transport;

- Training and management of vehicle drivers;

- Exploitation and organization of communications and transport;

- Measures to enforce the law on traffic safety;

- Conducting the dissemination, propaganda and education of law on traffic order and safety;

- Educating about traffic safety at schools;

- Taking measures to minimize damage caused by traffic accidents.

b/ The list of projects, agencies assuming the prime responsibility for projects, estimated funds, durations of implementation and order of priority of projects are specified in the list of tasks of the scheme on enhanced assurance of traffic order and safety up to 2010 promulgated together with this Decision.

c/ Total estimated fund for the scheme's implementation is VND 6,952,985 million from the state budget and other sources. The fund for the implementation of each project will be determined upon approval of each investment project in accordance with law.

4. Major solutions to implement the scheme

a/ Raising public awareness of traffic order and safety; perfecting legal documents on traffic safety; mobilizing experts from concerned ministries, branches and research institutes to work out specific and timely plans for the scheme's implementation.

b/ Strengthening the organization and raising the capacity of state management of traffic safety of the Ministry of Transport and provincial/municipal Transport Services and Communications and Public Works Services; strengthening the National Committee for Traffic Safety and local traffic safety boards in the direction of raising responsibilities of and delegating more powers to these organizations in coordination work, and improving their professionalism.

c/ Ensuring financial resources for the scheme's implementation from the state budget, disbursed foreign loans and other contributions of domestic and foreign organizations and individuals of all economic sectors.

d/ Ensuring the work of inspection, examination, supervision and periodical evaluation of the fulfillment of the scheme's objectives and tasks.

Article 2.- Organization of implementation

The National Committee for Traffic Safety is an agency responsible for urging and inspecting the implementation of this scheme. Ministries, branches, provinces and centrally run cities are primarily responsible for performing relevant tasks. Their major tasks are specified as follows:

1. The National Committee for Traffic Safety shall:

Coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs in working out in the second quarter of 2008 a plan to strengthen the National Committee for Traffic Safety and local traffic safety boards in the direction of raising their responsibilities and delegating them more powers for organizing coordination work and improving their professionalism.

2. The Ministry of Home Affairs shall:

Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the National Committee for Traffic Safety in, submitting in the third quarter of 2008 to the Government for approval a plan to strengthen the National Committee for Traffic Safety and local traffic safety boards.

3. The Ministry of Transport shall:

a/ Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice and concerned agencies in amending and supplementing existing legal documents on traffic safety and elaborating new ones and submitting them to the Government for approval from 2008.

b/ Work out and submit to the Government a plan to strengthen the organization and raise the capacity of state management of traffic safety of the Ministry of Transport, and provincial/municipal Transport Services and Communication and Public Works Services in 2008.

c/ Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security in, raising the quality of training and testing of drivers for the grant of driver licenses and professional qualification certificates.

d/ Elaborate and implement a scheme on increase of the state payroll and reinforcement of equipment for the transport inspection force, and submit it to the Government in the first quarter of 2008.

e/ Conduct on an annual basis propaganda to raise the sense of observance of the law on maritime navigation safety; provide maritime assistance and assure maritime navigation safety.

f/ Implement three schemes on enhancement of management of registry and inspection for improving the quality, technical safety and environmental protection of road, waterway and railway motor vehicles from 2008 to 2010.

4. The Ministry of Public Security shall:

a/ Elaborate and submit to the Government a scheme on enhancement and modernization of patrol activities, control and handling of violations of traffic order and safety in the first quarter of 2008.

b/ Coordinate with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Justice in promulgating regulations on registration of, and grant of number plates for, road motor vehicles of war invalids and handicapped people; withdraw registered number plates of means of transport with expired use duration.

5. The Ministry of Education and Training shall:

a/ Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Security in, studying the increase of the time volume for and diversification of forms of education of the law on safety order and safety at all educational levels.

b/ Supply teaching aids in 2008.

c/ Raise the capacity of managerial cadres and teachers of traffic safety at schools in 2008.

d/ Compile, amend and supplement teaching materials in 2008.

6. The Ministry of Information and Communication shall:

a/ Assume the prime responsibility for elaborating and implementing a scheme on traffic safety propaganda on the mass media and through grassroots information institutions up to 2010.

b/ Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the National Committee for Traffic Safety, the Ministry of Transport and concerned agencies in, intensifying the dissemination, popularization and education of the law on traffic order and safety from 2008.

7. The Ministry of Health shall:

a/ Promulgate in 2008 a regulation on a system of stations providing first aid to traffic accident victims on national highways.

b/ Organize from 2008 the provision of first aid training to health workers at traffic accident first-aid stations.

c/ Raise the capacity of the system of first-aid stations from 2008.

d/ Supplement and amend in 2008 regulations on health standards for motor vehicle drivers.

e/ Popularize and propagate from 2008 about health consequences, illness burdens and injuries caused by traffic accidents in the community.

8. The Ministry of Finance shall:

a/ Ensure funds for the implementation of solutions set forth in the scheme.

b/ Study amendments and supplements to regulations on levels of premiums of compulsory insurance for civil liability of motor vehicle owners, and formulate policies on assistance for the development of mass transit by bus; and guide the allocation and use of funds for traffic safety assessment.

9. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall coordinate with the Ministry of Finance in guiding the order and procedures for formulation, submission for approval and implementation of projects under this scheme.

10. Presidents of provincial/municipal People's Committees shall implement from 2008 relevant contents of the scheme.

11. Socio-political organizations

The Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Vietnam Women's Union, the Vietnam War Veterans' Association, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union, etc., shall actively participate in propagating and educating about the sense of observance of the law on traffic order and safety among their members.

Article 3.- This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

Article 4.- Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies and presidents of provincial/municipal People's Committees shall implement this Decision.