Still wondering about the absolute ban on alcohol concentration

On March 27.3, the 5th full-time National Assembly (NA) Delegates Conference, XNUMXth National Assembly, continued its final working day with a discussion on the draft Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety. One of the issues that still has many different opinions is whether alcohol concentration should be absolutely banned for vehicle drivers or not.

Regarding this issue, the National Defense and Security Committee (inspection agency) designed two options. One is an absolute ban on alcohol content, applicable to all types of road vehicles. Second, keep it the same as the 2 Road Traffic Law: only strictly banning cars, tractors and specialized motorbikes; Motorcycles and mopeds will have a minimum threshold (2008 mg/50 ml of blood or 100 mg/0,25 liter of breathing air).

"NSITTING AT THE TABLE, HOW DO YOU DETERMINE THE RIGHT DRINKER?

Expressing support for the plan to absolutely ban alcohol concentration, Delegate Nguyen Minh Tam (Quang Tri delegation) said that this regulation is not new, but only inherits the regulations currently in effect in the Law on Prevention and Control of Harm of Vietnam. wine. The absolute ban on alcohol content will contribute to preventing and minimizing risks caused by the act of drinking alcohol and still driving a vehicle.

However, Ms. Tam commented that using alcohol and beer is considered a cultural feature and habit of a part of the Vietnamese people; The field of production and supply of alcohol and beer products also contributes a large part to the budget, while creating jobs for many workers... Absolute ban on alcohol content will definitely affect these people. . To be more convincing, the female representative suggested that there should be a more in-depth and complete policy impact assessment. Specifically, provide data (how many accidents are over the threshold, within the threshold or below the threshold...) to prove that if the alcohol concentration threshold is not feasible, it will be difficult to control the accident situation. traffic.

Sharing the same opinion, Delegate Nguyen Dai Thang (Hung Yen delegation) said he was very worried, but after evaluating the pros and cons of the two options, he now completely supports the option of absolutely banning alcohol concentration. "If there is a threshold and it is over the threshold that will be punished, once we sit at the table, how can we determine what is within the threshold and what is over the threshold?", Mr. Thang said.

Emphasizing that "human life and health come first and foremost", the representative of Hung Yen province affirmed that an absolute ban on alcohol concentration is necessary and will contribute to forming a culture of not drinking alcohol or beer. driver, and at the same time protect the vehicle driver's family.

Similarly, Delegate Thai Thi An Chung (Nghe An delegation) commented that an absolute ban on alcohol concentration could affect part of economic development, but she supported the ban for at least the next 5 years, to contribute to change. change the habit of abusing alcohol and beer of a part of the people. Once habits have changed, we will proceed to summarize, evaluate, and consider whether or not a threshold needs to be set.

QASSIGNING 0 ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION IS UNREASONABLE

Having a different opinion, Delegate Pham Van Hoa (Dong Thap delegation) supports option 2, which requires a minimum alcohol concentration threshold. According to him, there are currently twice as many rural workers as in urban areas. "In urban areas, people drive, but for normal workers like in the Northeast, Northwest, and Mekong Delta, if 2% is stipulated, there is no concentration. alcohol content is not feasible".

The representative immediately gave evidence to himself, saying, "If I drink 1 glass of beer or 1 glass of wine, I don't know what happens to other people, but my mind is still normal and I can still drive well. Drinking a glass of beer and not being mentally alert enough to drive is not standard." He affirmed that he fully supports the principle that if you drink alcohol or beer, you should not drive, but "if you drink the day before and this morning you still have an alcohol concentration, if you are fined by the traffic police, it would be unreasonable." Therefore, he asked the National Assembly to consider and health authorities also need to coordinate to calculate this issue.

Frankly admitting that she occasionally uses alcohol, Delegate Huynh Thi Phuc (Ba Ria-Vung Tau delegation) said she does not support drinking alcohol or beer and still driving a vehicle. However, according to her, setting an alcohol concentration of 0 is different from prohibiting people who have used alcohol and beer but still drive (because there are cases where alcohol and beer still have an alcohol concentration - PV).

Taking for example the case of using strongbow - an apple cider vinegar drink or other flavor, Ms. Phuc said that after consulting some documents, this is not wine or beer, but drinking it will increase the alcohol concentration. So how is this case punished? Ms. Phuc mentioned that a professional department of the Ministry of Health recently conducted a survey to assess what is the appropriate alcohol concentration. While waiting for results from professional agencies, she suggested the need for an objective and scientific assessment.

“Should be carefully considered, the concentration should not be set at zero, first of all to enforce the law clearly, second to protect the image of the public service force, third to avoid errors in the design. having their alcohol content measured," the female representative stated.

TAVOID ABUSE OF INSPECTIONS AND PENALTIES

Expressing a more neutral viewpoint, many delegates agreed with the plan to absolutely ban alcohol concentration for vehicle drivers, but it is necessary to calculate and apply it in a roadmap, consistent with practice; so that the law comes to life and is convincing when passed.

Citing a real story in her locality, Delegate Ly Thi Lan (Ha Giang delegation) said that in ethnic minority or rural areas, people's conditions when participating in traffic cannot be thoroughly implemented. the absence of alcohol content.

“Here it is related to cultural, regional and local factors. During Tet, going from village to village to celebrate the New Year, it's hard not to drink a glass of wine and a glass of beer. If you drink, if you are checked, it is obviously a violation. But whether this has an impact or is related to traffic accidents needs to be evaluated," Ms. Lan said, and suggested that it is necessary to review the level of fines and penalties according to the roadmap to gradually become conscious of the public. people when participating in traffic.

In particular, the female representative requested to avoid abusing regulations to punish, inspect, and cause people to antagonize the authorities. On social networks, she posted many pictures of authorities going into rural areas, where it is very difficult to check alcohol levels and punish people. "This causes offense, we need to consider punishment, inspection and there should be more flexibility," the representative stated.

Like the story of the Director of Ha Tinh Provincial Police who directly participated with the working group, discovered a motorbike driver violating alcohol concentration, then reminded and propagated instead of punishing. This, according to Ms. Lan, has created great consensus in public opinion, so a reasonable punishment roadmap should be considered.

While supporting the absolute ban on alcohol concentration, delegate Nguyen Van Canh (Binh Dinh delegation) requested the Government to regulate in detail the level of violation for each vehicle and purpose of use. He proposed that if a driver violates less than 20 mg/100 ml of blood or 0,1 mg/liter of breathing air for personal motorbikes (except for passenger or cargo transport services), they will only be fined administratively, not deprived of their rights. driving license.