Nghe An Traffic Police talk about how to handle cars that do not give way to ambulances when stopping at red lights in Vinh City.
According to authorities, in the event of stopping at a red light but there is an ambulance or other priority vehicle behind, the vehicles in front can run the red light to give way without being penalized.
On the morning of February 10, a video clip was circulated on social media recording an ambulance traveling on Lenin Avenue, heading from the center of Vinh City to Vinh Airport. When reaching the intersection between Lenin Avenue and Pham Dinh Toai Street, the ambulance continuously turned on its siren and priority lights to ask for the right of way. However, because the traffic light was red and there were many vehicles ahead, including a black Fortuner car, the ambulance could not continue moving. Only when the traffic light turned green could the ambulance continue.
The video has received mixed reactions from the online community. Some people believe that the driver of the black car may have been afraid of being fined for running a red light, so he did not yield to the ambulance.
Regarding this incident, the Traffic Police Department of Nghe An Province Police said: According to the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety 2024, road users must comply with road signs and traffic rules. Article 27 of this law stipulates that ambulances on duty are priority vehicles and have the right of way before other vehicles. Clause 5 of this article also requires that when there is a signal from a priority vehicle, road users must reduce speed, move close to the right side of the road or stop to give way.
In case of not giving way to priority vehicles, car drivers can be fined from 6 to 8 million VND according to Point b, Clause 6, Article 6 of Decree 168/2024.
Many people expressed concern about the possibility of being fined for "running a red light" when giving way to priority vehicles. Regarding this issue, the Nghe An Traffic Police Department affirmed: According to the principle of handling administrative violations, in urgent situations, if the vehicle is moving in the correct lane, on the right side of the road and for a legitimate reason, it will not be fined. This means that in the case of stopping at a red light but there is an ambulance or other priority vehicle behind, the vehicles in front can run the red light to give way without being fined.
In addition, for cases of fines imposed through the surveillance camera system, Nghe An Provincial Police will not immediately notify the fine but will verify and classify whether this is a real violation or not to ensure that the right person and the right violation are handled.
