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| Vehicles stop at a red light in Hanoi__Photo: VNA |
On December 26, 2024, the Government issued Decree 168/2024/ND-CP on administrative sanctions against violations in the field of traffic order and safety, increasing the fines for road traffic offenses by multiple times from the previous levels.
Specifically, under the Decree, which is promulgated through the expedited process and came into force on the first day of 2025, the fine for car drivers running a red light rises sharply to VND 18-20 million, four times the previous level. Violations such as making U-turns on expressways, driving in the wrong direction of traffic or reversing on expressways, and riding motorcycles on expressways now carry fines two to three times higher than those under previous regulations.
Certain infractions, such as transporting unsecured cargo, obstructing or failing to obey inspection and control requests from enforcement officers, or ignoring instructions from traffic controllers, are subject to fines three to 30 times higher than before.
Notably, those who open a car door or leave it open in an unsafe way, causing a traffic accident, are fined up to VND 22 million, a dramatic rise from the previous level of VND 600,000.
Positive outcomes
Although there remain opinions that the new fine levels are too high compared to the average income of Vietnamese people, most agree that the imposition of massive fines will be surely an effective solution for tackling rampant traffic violations in the past time.
In an interview with Bao Dien tu Chinh phu (Government News) (baochinhphu.vn), Dr. Khuong Kim Tao, former Deputy Chief of Office of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said Decree 168 was formulated to meet the urgent need to improve the quality of traffic management and reduce traffic accidents - a burning issue in society today.
“Traffic accidents have decreased compared to before but are still at an alarming level and pose many risks,” Dr. Tao said, adding that ensuring traffic order and safety has become an urgent requirement.
According to the expert, in order to deal with the complicated traffic situation, it is necessary to deploy two main groups of measures, i.e., public communication and law education combined with enforcement of stringent sanctions against violations. Public communication will make people be more aware of their responsibility when participating in traffic, while coercive measures such as fines and deduction of driver’s license points are needed to handle serious violations. “Although the fines may cause difficulties for people, this is a reasonable step to increase deterrence and reduce violations,” he said.
Decree 168 has actually brought about positive outcomes after just a few weeks of application.
As evaluated by the Ministry of Public Security’s Traffic Police Department, Decree 168 has profoundly impacted public awareness and significantly enhanced compliance among traffic participants. The number of cases of running red lights, driving on sidewalks or driving against the flow of traffic on one-way streets has visibly decreased, especially in major cities. Traffic participants have begun voluntarily obeying traffic rules and signs, even in the absence of traffic police, demonstrating a shift in awareness and responsibility, thus forming a traffic culture among citizens, said a representative from the Traffic Police Department.
There are plenty of examples to prove the police officer’s statement.
Nguyen Bich Thuy, a 45-year-old resident of Dong Da district in Hanoi, told correspondents of the VietNamNet (vietnamnet.vn) that many drivers are now more aware of the fines for violations and obey traffic rules voluntarily.
“People have been talking about the new penalties, and even reminding each other on the road not to run red lights, as fines can reach VND 5 million. Strict enforcement will help instill lasting habits of law adherence among the public,” Thuy told the VietNamNet.
People, especially youngsters, now voluntarily obey traffic regulations even in the absence of traffic police.
Early this month, fans flooded the streets in jubilation after Vietnam’s national football team secured a victory in the first leg of the ASEAN Cup finals but just a few broke traffic safety protocols. Ngo Duy Anh, a 27-year-old from Hoan Kiem district, who has observed many previous celebrations, expressed his surprise at the change. “Motorcyclists often disregarded traffic laws in the past but things are completely different now. People stop for red lights and wear helmets properly, even during celebrations,” he said.
Improvement in people’s sense of observance of the traffic law has actually resulted in positive outcomes. Traffic accidents have also seen marked reductions compared to the same period and the preceding time frame.
During two weeks after Decree 168 takes effect, there were 681 traffic accidents nationwide, resulting in 365 fatalities and 453 injuries. Compared to the same period, this represents a decrease of 355 accidents (34.27 percent), 47 fatalities (11.41 percent), and 426 injuries (34.24 percent). In comparison with the preceding period, the number of accidents decreased by 347 (34.53 percent), fatalities, by 94 (20.47 percent), and injuries, by 301 (39.92 percent).
Things to be taken into consideration
Dr. Tao, in his talk with baochinhphu.vn, said Decree 168 will have significant impacts on people’s daily life. Although the Decree is warmly supported by many people because it helps reduce traffic accidents and raise awareness of people when participating in traffic, some may feel insecure, especially those who often violate the law. In fact, tightening the control of traffic might lead to changes in people’s travel habits as they will likely seek to avoid areas where traffic is strictly monitored. This might help reduce congestion in some areas but create traffic jams and queuing on other roads.
An important factor that needs to be taken into account when implementing Decree 168 is traffic infrastructure such as traffic lights and other roadside facilities. Dr. Tao pointed out that traffic control systems at some intersections have not been optimized. For instance, the quality of traffic lights is not consistent and control parameters of traffic lights are sometimes unreasonable. These factors are likely to reduce the effectiveness of traffic management measures.
In addition, it is necessary to attach importance to traffic culture. Traffic culture concerns not only law observance but also the behavior of traffic participants. Improvement in traffic culture will help fill the loophole that the law cannot plug, and help build a healthy and safe traffic environment.-
