In the first 6 months of the year, Nghe An fined 7,600 cases of not having a driving license.

Driving without a driver's license

Usually, cases of not having a driving license are handled mainly through the detection of other violations, so many people are still subjective, ignore the provisions of the law, and drive without a driving license.

For example, on June 20, 2024, Mr. MVT (born in 1984), residing in Dien Yen commune, Dien Chau district, was administratively fined according to the Decision signed by the Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Le Hong Vinh. The penalty decision clearly stated that Mr. MVT committed 3 administrative violations. The total fine Mr. MVT must pay is 48.5 million VND.

Specifically, Mr. MVT drove a car with license plate 37A-730.xx on the road while having drugs in his body (determined by test results), and was fined 35 million VND. In addition, for driving a car without a vehicle registration certificate, Mr. MVT was fined 2.5 million VND. For driving a car without a driver's license, Mr. MVT was fined 11 million VND.

Similarly, on June 11, the Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also signed a decision to administratively sanction Mr. NVĐ (born in 1978), residing in Do Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. The decision clearly stated that Mr. NVĐ committed 2 administrative violations. The total fine Mr. NVĐ must pay is 46 million VND.

Mr. NVĐ drove a car with license plate 37K-181.xx on the road with a breath alcohol concentration exceeding 0.4 milligrams/1 liter of breath (test result 0.702 milligrams/1 liter of breath), and was fined 35 million VND. For driving a car without a driver's license, Mr. NVĐ was fined 11 million VND.

As someone who was fined for not having a driver's license, Mr. VNH in Nghi Kim commune, Vinh city said: "Although I discovered that my driver's license had expired, because I was afraid of having to study and take the test to get it reissued, I did not dare to go far. Every day, I only go from home to work about 5 km, then wander around the city, so I subjectively thought that as long as I followed the law, there would be no collisions... However, that day, after picking up my child from middle school and on my way home, I passed an intersection and collided with a student riding an electric bicycle. At that moment, the traffic police at the checkpoint outside checked the scene, also checked the vehicle's documents and discovered that my driver's license had expired for nearly 3 years...".

In Mr. VNH’s case, because it was only a minor collision, the child only suffered minor scratches on his leg, and the vehicle was not significantly damaged, the two parties later reached an agreement. However, for not having a driver’s license, Mr. VNH had to pay a fine of 11 million VND. According to Mr. VNH, not only did he lose the fine, but when he got home, he was also “disciplined” by his wife and children.

Mr. VNH's case is still fortunate compared to many other cases related to not having a driver's license that have occurred in the province. For example, Mr. Thai Ba Cuong (born in 1968), residing in Ky Son commune, Tan Ky district, although knowing that his son, Thai Ba Quoc (born in 1990), did not have a driver's license, Mr. Cuong still let his son drive the vehicle, leading to a fatal accident and both father and son were prosecuted.

In which, the son was prosecuted for the crime of "Violating regulations on driving vehicles participating in road traffic", the father was prosecuted for the crime of "Allowing an unqualified person to drive a vehicle participating in road traffic".

Strengthen inspection and strict handling

According to data from the Traffic Police Department, Provincial Police, in the first 6 months of the year, the Traffic Police force in the whole province discovered and handled 7,627 cases of drivers without driving licenses.

According to the traffic police, the cases of not having a driver's license are handled mainly through the detection of other violations. Many people think that because they already know how to drive, they have not studied to get a license, some are studying but are already driving, some are not old enough to take the driver's license test but are still driving...

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According to Decree 100/2019/ND-CP, amended by Decree 123/2021/ND-CP, drivers of motorbikes and similar vehicles without a driving license will be fined from 100,000 to 200,000 VND. Drivers of cars, tractors and similar vehicles without a driving license will be fined from 200,000 to 400,000 VND.

In the case of not having a driving license, drivers of motorbikes with an engine capacity of less than 175cc will be fined from 1 to 2 million VND; for vehicles over 175cc and 3-wheeled motorbikes, the fine is from 4 to 5 million VND; for drivers of cars and similar vehicles, the fine is from 10 to 12 million VND.

It can be seen that the fine for the act of “not having” is many times higher than the act of “not carrying” a driving license. Therefore, there are many cases where when being checked and not being able to present a driving license, initially they still give the reason of not having it to reduce the penalty, but in fact they do not have it and are forced to pay a large fine.

In fact, in the case of a driver who cannot present a driver's license, the authorities will draw up a record of the driver for not having a driver's license (and other violations), then temporarily detain the vehicle according to regulations.

Within the time limit for the settlement of the violation, if the violator presents his/her driver's license, the competent authority shall issue a decision to impose a penalty for not carrying a driver's license. If the violator presents his/her driver's license after the time limit has expired or fails to present it, the decision to impose an administrative penalty for not having a driver's license must be complied with.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Anh Tuan - Head of the Traffic Accident Investigation, Dispute Resolution and Violation Handling Team, Nghe An Provincial Traffic Police Department: A driver's license is one of the documents that drivers are required to carry. This is a certificate issued by a competent authority to a person to allow that person to drive a vehicle on the road.

Driving without a driver's license poses many risks of causing traffic accidents. Therefore, the current penalty level according to Decree 100/2019/ND-CP, amended by Decree 123/2021/ND-CP for people without a driver's license is very strict. However, in reality, many people without a driver's license still drive. During the 5-day holiday on April 30 and May 1, 2024 alone, the provincial traffic police force recorded 2,022 administrative violations, of which 422 cases were for not having a driver's license.

Mr. Hoang Minh Dien - Teacher of PTS Driver Training and Testing Center said: Those who are trained through driving schools will understand the law, grasp the skills, how to handle situations when participating in traffic..., compared to those who study on their own with only one goal of being able to drive. Therefore, there are students who, after studying at the center, confessed that they have been driving for a whole year but in reality do not understand the law, do not understand traffic signs, do not know how to reverse the car into the right position...

Regarding this issue, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan - Head of Vehicle and Driver Management Department of the Department of Transport added that, in addition to monitoring devices during the learning, testing and assessment process, the Department of Transport regularly checks and promptly corrects to ensure the criteria of "real learning, real testing". With the goal that people who are granted a driving license must ensure a thorough understanding of traffic laws as well as the necessary skills when driving a vehicle, contributing to reducing traffic accidents.

Thus, it can be seen that the number of drivers without a driving license is not small in reality. This is one of the causes that easily lead to traffic accidents. Therefore, in addition to the role of the authorities in strengthening patrols, control, detection and strict handling.

It is thought that propaganda work also needs to be concerned so that people understand that driving without a driver's license is a violation of the law, and can be prosecuted if causing an accident leading to death. Especially for young people, parents need to regularly remind and educate their children to voluntarily comply with the regulations not to drive cars, motorbikes, or scooters when they are underage and do not have a driver's license.