Hanoi  - Vietnamese authorities Monday reported a slight fall in traffic accidents in the first six months of the year but the country's rate of traffic fatalities remains among the highest in the world.

The Vietnamese Traffic Safety Committee reported that 5,827 people were killed in traffic accidents in the first half of 2009, down almost 2 per cent year-on-year. Of those, 5,597 were road deaths, the remainder included accidents on waterways, railways or the sea.

"The main reason leading to traffic accidents is the lack of sense and responsibility from people travelling on the roads," said Ngo Quang Dao, deputy director of Vietnam's Road Administration. "Road accidents occur because drivers travel too fast, exceeding speed limits, going in the wrong lanes, driving after drinking... "

Deputy Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang blamed the high accident rate on a shortage of traffic police for the rising number of vehicles on Vietnam's roads. The country has only 13,000 traffic police patrolling nationwide.

Vietnam reported 11,318 people killed by traffic accidents in 2008, down from 12,857 the year before. A helmet law for motorbike riders introduced at the end of 2007 is believed to have contributed to the reduced death toll. (dpa)