Authorities have claimed that deaths and injuries caused by traffic accidents have fallen in the first eight months of this year.

Three motorbikes damaged after the crash

The chief of the Secretariat of the National Traffic Safety Committee, Nguyen Trong Thai, said 14,622 traffic accidents had left 5,821 dead and 13,234 people injured.

The committee claimed that the number accidents, deaths and injuries all fell by 12.49%, 3.98% and 16.04% respectively.

The accidents so far in August saw a decrease of 13.18% compared to last year, to 1,712 cases. Both the number of killed and injured people also decreased by 5.63% and 20.61% respectively.

However, the numbers are obviously still horrifically high and government will need to continue raising basic awareness among people about the need to follow simple traffic rules and regulations.

A prime example of a flagrant disregard for traffic safety on August 23 saw a motorbike driver in Ho Chi Minh City drive the wrong way down a lane, hitting another motorbike which then knocked over a third, leaving four severely injured.

Locals said people often used the wrong lane as they were too lazy to use the correct route, despite the dangers posed by heavy traffic.