A coordinated effort is needed.

(Baonghean.vn) - According to the Nghe An Motor Vehicle Inspection Center, the total number of vehicles in the province that had exceeded their service life as of December 31, 2011, was 256, including 208 trucks and 48 passenger buses. However, these are only statistics on paper; in reality, vehicles that have exceeded their service life are still circulating widely, posing an immeasurable threat to the safety of road users.

Government Decree 95/2009/ND-CP dated October 30, 2009, stipulates that, from January 1, 2011, passenger cars originally manufactured in 1990 (with a service life exceeding 20 years) and passenger cars converted for other purposes before January 1, 2002, manufactured in 1993 (with a service life exceeding 17 years) will be required to cease operation.

The Vietnam Registering and Inspection Department has also issued regulations stating that vehicles whose registration has expired must return their registration books to the local Vehicle Registration and Inspection Center where they were issued their vehicle documents and license plates upon their final inspection. The center will then notify relevant authorities such as the Traffic Police, the Transport Inspectorate, and the Traffic Safety Board about the number of expired vehicles so that these agencies can monitor whether these vehicles are still in operation.

Despite such specific regulations, the number of vehicles that have reached the end of their service life and are undergoing procedures to return their license plates and registration certificates is still modest. Handling these expired vehicles according to Decree 95/CP is currently beyond the capacity of the authorities, especially in the areas of control and enforcement of regulations for their removal.

According to data from the Traffic Police Department of the Provincial Public Security, on average, the traffic police force handles approximately 2,000 cases per month of vehicles violating technical safety regulations related to brakes, technical equipment, safety components, and vehicles not meeting environmental protection standards. In 2011 alone, authorities discovered and handled 10 cases of using fake inspection certificates. This means these vehicles had expired inspection certificates and were slated for destruction, but the owners used fake certificates to continue operating them, leading to a very high risk of traffic accidents (due to brake failure, equipment malfunction, etc.) and many fire and explosion hazards due to old, rusty fuel tanks and unreliable fuel lines that are prone to leaks, causing fires and explosions.

In a discussion with us about this issue, Mr. Nguyen Quy Khanh, Director of the Nghe An Motor Vehicle Inspection Center, said: Owners of vehicles that have exceeded their service life often try to evade responsibility by using them only for transporting goods, operating in remote areas, and at night. Many long-distance truck owners, after their vehicles reach the end of their service life, bring them back to "utilize" them on intra-provincial routes. If stopped by traffic police, drivers will not present the inspection certificate, claiming they forgot to bring it. Furthermore, to "bypass checkpoints," many drivers even directly alter the inspection certificate, then photocopy it and only present the photocopy when questioned by traffic police. Only when the vehicle is no longer usable will they sell it for scrap metal.

Furthermore, insufficient penalties are also one of the reasons why vehicles that have exceeded their service life continue to roam freely on the roads, despite the efforts of relevant authorities to raise awareness. Especially Decree 34/2010/ND-CP (Article 19) stipulates: A fine of 4 to 6 million VND will be imposed for any of the following violations: driving a vehicle that has exceeded its service life (if there are regulations on service life); using a vehicle inspection certificate, safety and environmental inspection sticker, or vehicle registration certificate not issued by the competent authority; or using a vehicle registration certificate with an incorrect chassis or engine number (including trailers and semi-trailers)... This fine is not strong enough to deter vehicle owners from complying.

Furthermore, it must also be acknowledged that the lack of coordinated efforts among functional forces (Traffic Police, Transport Inspectors, Vehicle Registration Centers, etc.) has inadvertently created loopholes that allow vehicles that have exceeded their service life to slip through.

In my opinion, besides raising awareness among drivers that operating unsafe vehicles not only causes accidents for other road users but also endangers the drivers themselves, it is necessary to increase penalties for violations.

Inter-agency bodies need to regularly coordinate inspections of vehicle documents, technical conditions, and safety specifications. Vehicles that have exceeded their service life should be resolutely prohibited from circulation. At the same time, the supply of used vehicles needs to be strictly controlled... Only then can we hope to thoroughly address the issue of "expired" vehicles, which are currently quite prevalent in the area.

Dang Cuong