(VOVworld)- The National Traffic Safety Committee and the World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday co-launched a National Road Safety Week in response to the UN’s Global Road Safety Week dedicated to pedestrians.

The event’s short-term goal to have no pedestrian deaths reported during the week. The Committee’s Vice Chairman Nguyen Hoang Hiep said the campaign aims to raise public awareness of traffic laws and ways to avoid accidents. It encourages road users to give way to pedestrians, and a design of transportation infrastructure that ensures pedestrian safety.  Hiep said:“Safety for pedestrians is very important because it directly relates to both pedestrians and other traffic participants. This is the problem of a cultural and civilized society, so we need to pay attention to ensuring safety for pedestrians and improving traffic infrastructure. The National Traffic Safety Committee wants to raise public awareness of this issue and will take necessary measures after that”.

Road Safety Week was launched in all 63 provinces, with a range of activities including guiding people to cross the road properly.  A WHO representative in Vietnam Cris Tunon said that the WHO highly appreciates the Vietnamese government’s effective measures to reduce traffic accidents, and deaths and injuries caused by traffic accidents. The WHO promised to work with Vietnam in implementing measures to ensure traffic safety.