A police officer has stated the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security will submit to the government a proposal to apply strict sanctions on drunk drivers, including permanent license deprivation, after a series of tragic accidents.The measure aims to strictly implement the Law on preventing harm of liquor and beer, especially drinking beverages before driving.
A Mercedes car of the drunk driver is damaged after the fatal crash killed 2 women in Hanoi on April 30. Photo: V.H
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On April 24, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh said that any efforts by local leaders to prevent catastrophic accidents caused by drunk drivers would be welcomed.
The deputy PM said that Vietnamese police could use all the legal tools available to punish the offenders immediately.
The alcohol control law was first submitted to the Vietnamese National Assembly in late 2018 and passed on June 14, 2019.
The National Assembly voted in favor of banning those found with alcohol content in their blood or breath from driving.
Thus, when the law takes effect on January 1, 2020, drivers are not allowed to stay behind the wheel after drinking.
According to the latest statistics of the National Traffic Safety Committee, some 15,000 Vietnamese people die from traffic accidents each year, of them 4,800 deaths are caused by drunk drivers.
Up to 70% of people after consuming alchoholic beverages still drive and these people’s rate of infringing traffic safety rules is high such as changing lane without warning (36%), driving in the opposite direction (26%), forgetting to turn on the vehicles' lights (17% ).
