Two options for a National Assembly vote on alcohol concentration when driving

On June 21, the National Assembly Standing Committee sent a document asking for opinions from National Assembly deputies on the regulation prohibiting driving vehicles on roads with alcohol concentration in blood or breath in the draft Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, which has different opinions.

Accordingly, for the above issue, the National Assembly Standing Committee proposed two options:

Option 1 , prohibits driving a vehicle on the road with alcohol in the blood or breath, meaning an absolute ban on alcohol in the driving, as proposed by the Government .

Option 2 stipulates a ban on the lowest limit of alcohol concentration in blood and breath for drivers participating in traffic, similar to the provisions of the 2008 Road Traffic Law.

National Assembly deputies will decide by vote on the alcohol concentration plan when driving.

The National Assembly Standing Committee requested that National Assembly deputies choose one of the two above options, with completion deadline before 9:30 a.m. on June 24.

According to the agenda, the National Assembly will vote to pass the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety on the morning of June 27.

According to the National Assembly Standing Committee, option 1 has the advantage of inheriting the provisions of the 2008 Road Traffic Law and is consistent with the 2019 Law on Prevention and Control of Alcohol and Beer Harm.

The absolute ban also contributes to preventing violations of road traffic order and safety, reducing road traffic accidents, reducing risks and potential damage caused by the use of alcohol and beer to the life, health and property of drivers and road traffic participants, affecting the lives of families and the whole society.

The practical application is showing good results, supported and implemented by the entire political system and the majority of people; does not affect socio-economic development; ensures order and road traffic safety better than the regulations allowing alcohol concentration at a certain threshold.

In addition, the regulation under option 1 will contribute to preventing acts of disturbing public order, resisting law enforcement officers, and intentionally causing injury due to alcohol concentration in road traffic participants during traffic collisions.

However, according to the National Assembly Standing Committee, the regulation on absolute prohibition of alcohol concentration may change the habit of using alcohol and beer of a part of Vietnamese people in cultural activities such as funerals, weddings, festivals, holidays, New Year, etc. At the same time, it will reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages and affect the jobs and income of a part of workers and owners at establishments producing and trading alcoholic beverages.

The document of the National Assembly Standing Committee also stated that 31/50 National Assembly delegations and 9 National Assembly deputies who spoke and discussed at the 7th session agreed with option 1; the National Assembly Party Delegation, the National Assembly Standing Committee, the Government, and the Ministry of Public Security (the drafting agency) agreed with option 1. At the same time, 25 members of the National Defense and Security Committee gave their opinions, of which 22/25 members agreed with option 1.

Regarding option 2, the National Assembly Standing Committee said that the advantage is that the regulation of the threshold limit for alcohol concentration in blood and breath for drivers participating in road traffic does not change the habits of a group of people who, after consuming alcohol or beer, can still drive vehicles participating in road traffic.

At the same time, the option of limiting alcohol concentration will also have less impact on alcohol consumption, as well as on the production and trading of alcoholic beverages and the impact on workers in this field.

However, according to the National Assembly Standing Committee, the plan with alcohol concentration limits has many limitations such as the continued risk of increasing violations of road traffic order and safety, road traffic accidents, leading to the risk of increasing consequences and damages caused by road traffic accidents such as damage to life, health, property of vehicle drivers, other traffic participants, affecting family life, the country's resources, causing many consequences for society.

At the same time, when the law stipulates a certain threshold, it is difficult for people who drink alcohol to determine the threshold to stop, making it difficult for authorities to handle the situation. There is a risk of disturbing public order, resisting law enforcement officers, and intentionally causing injury when drivers of vehicles participating in traffic accidents are stimulated by the use of alcohol.

The National Assembly Standing Committee said that 19 out of 50 National Assembly delegations and 7 National Assembly deputies who spoke and discussed at the 7th session agreed with option 2, 3 National Assembly deputies proposed to propose 2 options for comments. Among the 25 members of the National Defense and Security Committee who commented, 3 out of 25 members agreed with option 2.

The absolute ban on alcohol concentration has been a controversial issue since the Government submitted the draft Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety at the end of last year. The 2008 Road Traffic Law stipulates an absolute ban on alcohol concentration for drivers of cars, tractors, and specialized motorbikes. For drivers of motorbikes and mopeds, the law stipulates a threshold of 50 mg/100 ml of blood or 0.25 mg/l of breath.

However, the 2019 Law on Prevention and Control of Alcohol Harm prohibits drivers of vehicles (including all the above-mentioned vehicles) with alcohol concentration in their blood or breath.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hai-phuong-an-lay-phieu-quoc-hoi-ve-nong-do-con-khi-lai-xe-185240623095702614.htm