Many delegates agreed with the regulation that absolutely prohibits driving under the influence of alcohol.

On the morning of March 27, 2024, continuing the working program, the 5th Conference of National Assembly Deputies in full-time activities discussed the draft Law on Road Traffic Safety. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue chaired the meeting. National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyen Khac Dinh chaired the meeting. Discussing at the meeting, many delegates were interested in and agreed with the regulation prohibiting the act of driving a vehicle on the road while having alcohol concentration in the blood or breath.

Delegate Nguyen Dai Thang ( Hung Yen delegation).

Speaking at the Conference, delegates all agreed that the development of the Law on Road Traffic Safety is consistent with the Party's guidelines, policies and directions, meeting objective practical requirements with the goal of ensuring the lives, health and property of people participating in traffic, specifically identifying the State agency responsible for road traffic safety, contributing to improving the effectiveness of State management in ensuring security and safety for people participating in traffic.

One of the issues that many delegates are interested in and agree with the draft Law is the regulation prohibiting the act of driving a vehicle on the road while having alcohol in the blood or breath. Delegate Nguyen Dai Thang (Hung Yen delegation) said, “During the group discussion session at the 6th National Assembly Session, I proposed to consider the need for an alcohol concentration threshold, however, after carefully evaluating the advantages and disadvantages, I agree with the regulation that absolutely prohibits the presence of alcohol in the blood or breath when driving a vehicle on the road.”

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh chaired the meeting.

Delegate Nguyen Dai Thang said that in recent times, the Traffic Police force has increased inspection and handling of alcohol concentration violations, thereby contributing to reducing traffic accidents. "According to data from the authorities, in 2023, the number of traffic accidents related to alcohol consumption decreased by 25%, the number of deaths decreased by 50%, and the number of injuries decreased by 22% compared to the same period. With the motto that human life is above all, first of all, the regulation of absolute prohibition of alcohol concentration when driving is necessary" - the delegate said, at the same time, he said that if the regulation stipulates that violations of alcohol concentration must reach the threshold before being handled, then "when we sit down to drink alcohol, beer, how do we determine what is drinking within the permitted threshold?". "Currently, when the authorities have increased the handling of alcohol concentration violations, people have gradually formed the habit of "if you drink alcohol, do not drive", therefore, the regulation of absolutely prohibiting alcohol concentration when driving will be agreed and supported by public opinion" - the delegate said.

Agreeing with the above regulation, delegate Nguyen Van Canh (Binh Dinh delegation) said that it is necessary to increase the penalty for violations of high alcohol concentration. However, the delegate proposed that for low alcohol concentration, below 0.1 mg/liter of breath, only administrative penalties should be imposed, but the driver's license should not be revoked. "However, this regulation of not revoking the driver's license should not be applied to motorbike drivers providing passenger and cargo transportation services," the delegate said.

Also agreeing with the above view, delegate Thai Thi An Chung (Nghe An delegation) expressed her agreement with the draft Law stipulating an absolute ban on alcohol concentration for drivers. “The reasons given by the Government and the National Defense and Security Committee are very complete and convincing. In fact, this regulation has also been discussed, carefully considered and unanimously approved by the 14th National Assembly in the Law on Prevention of Alcohol Harm and has been implemented since January 1, 2020. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the implementation time has not been long, but the process of implementing and drastically handling the violation of alcohol concentration for drivers of vehicles has raised people's awareness and responsibility for using alcohol when participating in traffic. This not only contributes to ensuring the safety of traffic participants but also changes the habit of abusing alcohol in today's life, not only has immediate but also long-term significance in improving the health of Vietnamese people" - the delegate stated.

According to Article 9 of the draft Law on Road Traffic Safety, prohibited acts include:

1. Driving a vehicle on the road while having alcohol in the blood or breath.

2. Driving a vehicle on the road while having drugs or other stimulants in the body that are prohibited by law.

3. Driving a motor vehicle on the road without a driving license as prescribed; driving a specialized motorbike on the road without a driving license or a certificate of training in road traffic law, a license or certificate to drive a specialized motorbike.

4. Insulting, threatening, obstructing, opposing or failing to comply with instructions, requests for inspection, control, command or traffic control of officials on duty regarding ensuring order and safety of road traffic.

5. Organizing car racing, racing, inciting, assisting, cheering on illegal car racing; driving a vehicle to participate in road traffic by weaving, swerving, and continuously revving the engine.

6. Using your hands to hold and use your phone or other electronic devices while driving a vehicle on the road.

7. Handing over motor vehicles and specialized motorbikes to people who are not qualified to drive vehicles on roads.

8. Using motor vehicles, specialized motorbikes that do not meet technical safety and environmental protection standards, homemade vehicles and other unlicensed vehicles on roads.

9. Manufacturing, assembling, and importing motor vehicles and specialized motorbikes that do not ensure technical safety and environmental protection.

10. Convert other types of cars into passenger cars.

11. Arbitrarily changing the structure, shape, layout, assembly, system of the vehicle, installing or removing spare parts that do not ensure technical safety and environmental protection of the vehicle when participating in traffic compared to the design or technical documents approved by the competent authority; arbitrarily intervening to distort the index on the odometer of the car; renting or borrowing spare parts of a motor vehicle just to perform the inspection; arbitrarily cutting, welding, erasing, chiseling, re-stamping the frame number, engine number of a motor vehicle or specialized motorbike.

12. Arbitrarily interfering with or changing the control software of motor vehicles, specialized motorbikes, and engines that have been registered with the management agency, with the aim of cheating on inspection, testing, and certification results.

13. Carrying goods exceeding the total weight, axle load, and allowable size of the vehicle or exceeding the allowable load and size limits of the road without permission from the management agency or without ensuring the requirements as prescribed by this Law; carrying goods on vehicles that are required to be tied but not tied or not tied properly; carrying more people than prescribed.

14. Transporting prohibited goods, illegally transporting or failing to fully comply with regulations on transporting dangerous goods or wild animals.

15. Threatening, insulting, fighting over, luring passengers; threatening or forcing passengers to use services against their will; transferring or unloading passengers or other acts to avoid detection of overloaded vehicles or vehicles carrying more passengers than the prescribed number.

16. Installing and using sound and lighting equipment on motor vehicles and specialized motorbikes that disrupt order and road traffic safety.

17. Illegally manufacturing, using, buying, or selling license plates; driving motor vehicles or specialized motorbikes with license plates not issued by a competent state agency; attaching license plates in the wrong position; bending or covering license plates; changing letters, numbers, colors, shapes, or sizes of license plates.

18. Disrupting the operation or distorting data of vehicle tracking devices and cameras installed on vehicles as prescribed by this Law.

19. Vandalizing, destroying, or damaging road traffic control and monitoring equipment, and intelligent equipment supporting traffic command and control.

20. Illegally placing or leaving obstacles or other obstructions on the road; spreading sharp objects; pouring slippery substances on the road; scattering soil, rocks, goods, materials, or construction waste on the road.

21. Obstructing people or vehicles from participating in traffic on the road; throwing bricks, soil, stones, sand or other objects at people or vehicles participating in traffic on the road.

22. Taking advantage of or abusing the task of ensuring road traffic order and safety to commit illegal acts, harass or infringe upon state interests, and the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals.

23. Taking advantage of one's own position, power, or profession or that of others to violate the law on road traffic order and safety or to interfere with or influence the process of handling violations of the law on road traffic order and safety.

24. Failure to declare, false declaration or provision of false information or documents to evade responsibility when discovered violating the law on road traffic order and safety.

25. Fleeing after causing a traffic accident to avoid responsibility; intentionally failing to help traffic accident victims when having the conditions; infringing upon the life, health, and property of traffic accident victims and those causing traffic accidents; taking advantage of traffic accidents to assault, threaten, incite, pressure, disrupt order, and obstruct the handling of traffic accidents.

26. Controlling flying objects, unmanned aircraft, and ultralight aircraft operating within the road clearance limits, causing obstruction or risk to the safety of people and vehicles participating in road traffic, except for unmanned aircraft and ultralight aircraft licensed to fly.

27. Other acts violating road traffic regulations prescribed in Chapter II of this Law.

Thanh Luan - Phuong Thuy - Ministry of Public Security Portal