Building Road Safety Capability in Vietnam

A detailed survey of more than 3,500km of Vietnam's high-risk roads using the latest digital imaging technology has been completed.

A team of local researchers and engineers from the Ministry of Transport, Vietnam Road Administration, the Transport Development and Strategy Institute and the Institute of Transport Science and Technology are now using the video images to rate the roads for safety.

The raters focus on more than 30 road design features that influence the likelihood of a crash and its severity. These include intersection layout, road cross-section and markings, roadside hazards, facilities for motorcyclists and the provision of footpaths and safe crossing points.

The rating process, which is expected to be completed by July 2009, follows a five-day intensive training course in which participants developed their expertise in safe road design and use of specialised software. The training was led by ARRB Group. iRAP Vietnam is supported by the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility.

June 2009.