Vietnam launches war on deadly traffic

11,500 deaths last year has nation looking for answers

HANOI, Vietnam - Beep! Beep! A motorcyclist without a helmet snakes through a crush of oncoming traffic - going the wrong way on a one-way street while texting with one hand on the phone, the other on the throttle.

Like a school of fish, the other bikes casually wiggle out of the way as if part of a choreographed chaos. This dance of traffic violations, repeated practically every minute somewhere in Vietnam, has made the country's roads among the most dangerous anywhere. Now the government is trying to crack down, launching hefty fines on Thursday for everything from racing to excessive horn tooting.