Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The requested relevant units to strengthen inspection and consider more severe punishments against drunk drivers after a series of alcohol-related traffic accidents have caused widespread public anger.
A Mercedes car of a drunk driver is damaged after a fatal crash that killed 2 women in Hanoi on April 30. Photo by VnExpress.
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Thus, civil servants were required to avoid drinking alcohol when driving and those driving under the influence (DUI) would be strictly penalized.
The ministry also asks the National Traffic Safety Committee Office to increase propaganda and draw up a plan of handling drunk driving, promote campaign “Don’t drive after drinking”.
In early April, at the meeting to review the implementation of Decree 46, the drafters proposed to amend the law on administrative penalties, including striping off driving licenses permanently for those driving under the influence (DUI) and raising the maximum fine in road traffic violations to VND80 million (USD$3,430).
According to a government decree on fines for traffic violations issued in 2017, car drivers with alcohol exceeding 80mg per 100ml of blood or 0.4mg per a liter of breath will be fined VND10-15 million (USD$422-$633), and bikers will be fined VND2-3 million (USD$85- $127). Offenders will also have their driving license revoked for two months.
The need to harden punishments on drunk driving comes after many tragic road accidents recently.
Late night April 30, a drunk driver rammed into two women at the entrance of a underpass in Hanoi. Both victims could not survive the accident.
On the evening of April 22, a street sweeper died in a fatal crash in a Hanoi street, the driver was held in custody and later admitted to consuming five to seven large glasses of beer prior to the accident.
