341 expired vehicles to be scrapped in Nghe An.

Statistics on cars that have reached the end of their service life.

According to statistics from the Nghe An Motor Vehicle Registration Center, the total number of vehicles in the province that had exceeded their service life as of December 31, 2018 was 341, including 304 trucks and 37 passenger buses.

According to regulations, vehicles that have reached or are nearing the end of their service life will be added to the warning list in the vehicle inspection management program, preventing vehicle inspection centers from conducting inspections. This list is also reported to the National Traffic Safety Committee, the Ministry of Transport, and sent to the Traffic Inspectorate and the Traffic Police.

In addition, vehicle owners will be notified by inspection centers through various means before their vehicles reach the end of their service life during the final inspection cycles. Drivers are advised that vehicles that have reached the end of their service life are not permitted to operate, and vehicle owners must return the registration and inspection certificates...

Circular 15/2014/TT-BCA of the Ministry of Public Security stipulates the responsibilities of functional agencies in revoking vehicle registration certificates and license plates. Accordingly, the vehicle registration and management agency, based on the list of automobiles that have reached the end of their service life or are not permitted to circulate, provided by the vehicle inspection agency, will review and carry out procedures to revoke vehicle registration certificates and license plates.

At the same time, the Circular also stipulates that the vehicle registration and management agency shall coordinate with the police of the commune, ward, or town where the vehicle owner resides to notify and request organizations and individuals with vehicles that have reached the end of their service life to complete the procedures for revoking the vehicle registration certificate and license plate.

Officials from the Nghe An Motor Vehicle Inspection Center check the safety conditions of a passenger bus. Photo: D.C.

That's the regulation, but how many of these vehicles will actually be destroyed—in other words, "decommissioned"—or how many will continue to circulate clandestinely is a difficult question to answer. In reality, although no accidents involving vehicles that have exceeded their service life have occurred in the area, the numerous accidents involving such vehicles across the country in recent times have already sounded the alarm.

For example, the accident that occurred in March 2018 at the Hung Vuong quarry (Vuong Loc commune, Can Loc district, Ha Tinh province) resulted in one fatality when a truck with license plate 38H-7648 (expired on January 1, 2018, and had not been inspected since May 2014) rolled downhill on its own; or the incident in April 2018 when a truck with license plate 19C-006.35 (expired on January 1, 2017, and had not been inspected since December 2012) plunged into a ravine in Thuong Phung commune, Meo Vac district, Ha Giang province, killing four people on board...

The fact that vehicles that have exceeded their service life are at high risk of accidents is entirely justified. According to Mr. Nguyen Quy Khanh, Director of the Nghe An Motor Vehicle Inspection Center: Vehicles that have exceeded their service life often experience problems with brakes, technical equipment, and safety components. These parts no longer fit together properly, so they are susceptible to failure at any time.

And numerous traffic accidents have occurred due to brake failure, equipment malfunctions, etc. Furthermore, these "outdated" vehicles also pose many risks of fire and explosion because of their old, rusty fuel tanks, and unreliable fuel lines that are prone to leaks, leading to fires and explosions.

Government Decree 95/2009/ND-CP dated October 30, 2009 stipulates that the service life of a motor vehicle is the permitted period of use calculated from the year of manufacture. Specifically, the service life for cargo vehicles is no more than 25 years, and for passenger vehicles no more than 20 years; for vehicles converted from other types of vehicles into passenger vehicles before January 1, 2002, the service life is no more than 17 years.

Tighten management

In order to control, prevent, and eliminate vehicles that have exceeded their service life, the Provincial Motor Vehicle Inspection Center annually posts a list of vehicles to be removed from service at the inspection office and sends notifications to relevant authorities so that they can plan for control and handling.

Mr. Nguyen Quy Khanh stated: During the final inspection before a vehicle reaches the end of its service life, the Center will issue an inspection sticker with a red mark to the vehicle and add it to the warning list in the inspection data system so that inspection centers will not accept vehicles that have reached the end of their service life for inspection in the next inspection period.

At the same time, announcements are made about vehicles nearing the end of their service life, and owners are encouraged to comply with regulations regarding vehicle lifespan. However, this is also why many vehicles nearing the end of their service life often evade final inspections. Worryingly, this could lead to owners attempting to falsify technical safety inspection documents to legitimize their vehicles and continue driving them on the road.

Vehicles undergo inspection procedures at the Nghe An Motor Vehicle Inspection Center. Photo: D.C.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Nam Hong, Deputy Head of the Provincial Traffic Police Department: Based on the list provided by the Vehicle Registration Department, the department annually sends a list of vehicles that have exceeded their service life to the traffic police forces in various areas so that they can promptly detect and handle them.

Simultaneously, notifications were sent to vehicle owners whose vehicles had reached the end of their service life in the province, but as of December 31, 2018, only 22 cases had come to complete the procedures for returning registration and license plates. Regarding cases of overdue vehicle inspections, from the beginning of 2018 to date, the authorities have detected and handled 190 cases.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Hong, there are also cases where vehicles have changed hands multiple times without completing the transfer of ownership procedures, and the current owner's whereabouts remain unknown. Furthermore, there are instances where postal workers cannot find the address to send notifications and have to return them, because the vehicle owner was registered at address A, but has since moved...

According to Decree 46/2016 on administrative penalties in the field of railway and road transport, the penalty for vehicles exceeding their service life is between 4 and 6 million VND per case, along with the revocation of the driver's license for 1 to 3 months and confiscation of the vehicle.

According to Mr. Nguyen Sy Thang, Chief Inspector of the Department of Transport: Every year, the Department's Inspectorate directs regional inspection teams to strengthen coordination with functional forces to conduct inspections and strictly handle organizations and individuals who bring vehicles with expired inspection certificates and vehicles that have exceeded their service life into circulation on roads, especially on roads in remote areas, near mineral mines, goods storage areas, and construction sites... From the beginning of 2019 to the present, through inspections, the forces have discovered 8 vehicles with expired inspection certificates.

Traffic inspectors check parked vehicles and verify relevant documents. Photo: D.C.

Thus, it is clear that dealing with vehicles that have exceeded their service life is not easy, and in reality, relying solely on the self-awareness of vehicle owners will be very difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen public awareness campaigns so that information reaches not only vehicle owners but also helps the public understand the risks of traffic accidents caused by vehicles with expired inspection certificates circulating on the road.

In addition, local authorities should advise organizations, schools, businesses, and individuals to check registration and inspection documents when renting vehicles to avoid renting vehicles that have exceeded their service life and are unsafe for road use; and to refrain from buying, selling, or exchanging vehicles that have exceeded their service life.

Regarding the forces directly involved in inspection and handling, it should be assigned to the commune police (especially in rural, mountainous, and remote areas) to supervise vehicle owners in returning registration papers and license plates, and in the process of decommissioning vehicles. Furthermore, stronger penalties are needed to ensure that vehicles that have reached the end of their service life are dismantled and destroyed to ensure traffic safety and reduce traffic accidents.

Prime Minister's Directive 29/CT-TTg dated October 5, 2016, on handling road vehicles that have exceeded their service life or inspection deadlines, clearly states: the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Information and Communications are required to strengthen propaganda, patrols, and penalties.

At the same time, the People's Committees of provinces and cities are requested to direct local functional agencies to conduct a comprehensive inspection, review, and compilation of a list of vehicles that have exceeded their service life or inspection deadlines; and to develop specific plans for handling them in accordance with the law.

Specifically, the Directive requires that the head of the agency be held accountable if vehicles that have exceeded their service life or inspection deadline are involved in traffic accidents.