When will National Highway 14 in Dak Lak stop haunting drivers?

A convoy of vehicles slowly followed behind farm tractors and training vehicles on National Highway 14 through Dak Lak .

Recently, National Highway 14, the section passing through Dak Lak, has become a source of frustration and anxiety for drivers due to the frequent and dense movement of agricultural vehicles and learner drivers, often at a snail's pace.

"Cows" trudge slowly along the highway.

After a long journey on National Highway 14, through Dak Lak province, VTC News reporters repeatedly encountered images of agricultural vehicles and makeshift vehicles freely "occupying the road" and moving at a snail's pace, obstructing visibility.

At 8:30 AM on January 30th, in the area of Cu Ne commune, Krong Buk district, two makeshift farm vehicles crawled slowly along a long stretch of road. Because the farm vehicles moved at a slow speed, the trucks and cars behind them had to trail behind.

A long line of cars and trucks followed each other at speeds below 30 km/h, not daring to overtake because of the solid white line in the middle of the road.

Farm vehicles trundle along the highway.

This situation is not new; drivers have been complaining about it for many years.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Tam (56 years old, residing in Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak province) said that on the morning of January 30th, he had an urgent matter to attend to in Pleiku City ( Gia Lai province). However, when he reached Chu K'Bo commune (Krong Buk district), for nearly half an hour, he had to drive at a speed of 25 km/h because a farm tractor was blocking the road ahead.

"I frequently travel back and forth between the two cities of Dak Lak and Gia Lai, so I'm no stranger to the obstacle called homemade motorized farm vehicles. Having to drive at a speed of 25 km/h for such a long distance has caused me to miss appointments many times," Mr. Tam said angrily.

Many drivers on National Highway 14 are terrified when they collide with farm vehicles and makeshift trucks.

The slow-moving farm tractors have long been a nightmare for TQ (27 years old), a truck driver who frequently travels on National Highway 14. According to TQ, traffic police regularly crack down on violations such as crossing solid lines or overtaking where there are solid lines, so cars passing through this area don't dare to break the rules. Therefore, when a farm tractor appears on the road, the entire convoy of cars has to crawl along behind it.

Many people question: If traffic police are strict about crossing solid lines, why are vehicles prohibited from traveling on national highways, such as agricultural vehicles, allowed to operate freely and disrupt traffic?

The nightmare of school buses.

Besides makeshift farm vehicles, many drivers also expressed frustration at the frequent and dense number of training vehicles (or "learner drivers") traveling on National Highway 14. These cars, labeled "learner drivers," speed along the highway, leaving long lines of vehicles behind them unable to overtake or stop.

Training vehicles create difficulties for other vehicles in traffic.

Mr. Doan Viet Dung (32 years old, residing in Dak Lak province) said that he sees training vehicles on the road at any time of day. The speed limit is 70-80 km/h, but these training vehicles only drive at 30-40 km/h, causing difficulties for other vehicles.

Not only Dung, but many other drivers, whenever they travel on National Highway 14, often pray to God and Buddha, hoping not to see any farm tractors or learner vehicles, because they are very afraid of having to crawl along behind these vehicles at speeds of 20-30 km/h.

A convoy of vehicles crawled along National Highway 14 due to an "obstacle" in the form of a farm tractor ahead.

"I was once fined by traffic police for lane encroachment while overtaking a learner's vehicle that was traveling at bicycle speed. Since then, I've had to swallow my anger and accept following behind homemade farm vehicles and learner's vehicles to avoid getting fined."

"We drivers also hope that the authorities will be flexible with road users. If agricultural vehicles or learner drivers cause traffic jams on the highway, the traffic police should consider not issuing fines if the overtaking is done safely," Mr. Dung shared.

"There's no such thing as a decoy car."

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Viet Hai, Deputy Head of the Traffic Police Department of Dak Lak Provincial Police, said that on National Highway 14 section passing through Dak Lak province, the unit has deployed 4 traffic police teams to regularly patrol the area to help ensure traffic order and safety on the route.

Regarding the issue of "decoy vehicles" or trapping pedestrians as reported by the public, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Viet Hai affirmed that this does not exist.

The Deputy Head of the Traffic Police Department stated that the department's leadership regularly inspects, supervises, and reminds officers and soldiers to strictly adhere to patrol and control procedures, and to severely punish violations that lead to traffic accidents.

"Over the years, the Traffic Police Department has not received any reports from citizens or drivers about the use of decoy vehicles or drivers luring pedestrians. The Traffic Police Department has publicly announced its hotline number and information on its media pages. Therefore, if citizens or drivers participating in traffic detect or have sufficient evidence to determine that there is a situation of decoy vehicles or drivers luring pedestrians, please provide the information to the unit. We guarantee that we will handle it strictly according to the law," said Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Viet Hai.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Viet Hai, in Dak Lak province, tractors, farm vehicles, and agricultural trucks play a crucial role in agricultural production and family economic development. With the rugged mountainous terrain, transporting agricultural products is difficult, and not many vehicles can operate in these areas. Currently, there are no vehicles that can replace tractors, farm vehicles, and agricultural trucks in Dak Lak province.

"The Traffic Police Department is currently conducting a campaign to encourage people to install headlights, signal lights, mirrors, and horns on tractors to improve safety and reduce traffic accidents involving these vehicles," informed the Deputy Head of the Traffic Police Department of Dak Lak Provincial Police.

National Highway 14, spanning 980 km, is a vital transportation artery through the Central Highlands provinces, connecting the Central Highlands with the North Central and Southeast regions. It traverses the most diverse terrain and is the second longest national highway in Vietnam after National Highway 1A. The section of National Highway 14 (Ho Chi Minh Highway) passing through Dak Lak province begins at Km 1668 (Bridge 110, Ea H'leo district) and ends at Km 1793 + 900 (Bridge 14, Buon Ma Thuot city), covering a length of over 125 km.

HOANG MAI

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