Nghe An tightens inspections and cracks down on drunk driving violations during the year-end period.

Drinking and driving

At noon on January 6th, we were present with the task force of Road Traffic Police Team No. 1 (Traffic Police Department of the Provincial Police) on patrol and control duty at Km 29 of National Highway 48 in Dong Hieu commune, Thai Hoa town. In just over an hour, we observed two cases of drivers violating traffic regulations.alcohol concentrationA record of administrative violation was issued, and the vehicle was temporarily seized in accordance with regulations.

At 1:05 PM, during a check of a car with license plate 37K-123xx driven by Mr. NKK (born in 1980), residing in Quy Chau district, the task force discovered that Mr. K. had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.23 mg/liter of breath. Mr. K. stated that he had drunk a few glasses of wine at lunchtime while visiting relatives in Quynh Tam commune (Quynh Luu district), and didn't think he would exceed the legal limit. "With a fine of 7 million VND and an 11-month suspension of my driver's license, it means I won't be able to drive a car this Tet holiday, and my family's plans for a trip have to be canceled. But it's also a valuable lesson for me," Mr. K. said.

Road Traffic Police Team No. 1 checks the blood alcohol level of vehicle drivers. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Lieutenant Colonel Cao Dang Hung, Deputy Head of Road Traffic Police Team No. 1, stated: "Most drivers agree with the need for strict control, because allowing those who have consumed alcohol to drive poses a danger to many others. However, a small number of drunk drivers still argue and try to justify their violations."

In fact, driving after drinking alcohol because one believes they are not drunk is a major cause of many serious traffic accidents. According to a doctor at the Emergency Department of Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, although there are no specific statistics, the number of emergency cases related to traffic accidents in the area has generally increased in the last months of the year, especially traffic accidents caused by alcohol consumption, including cases of accidents and causing accidents due to alcohol consumption before driving. The doctor added that, according to research by the World Health Organization, alcohol slows reaction time by about 10-30%, limits coordination between body parts, reduces the ability to recognize objects from a distance, and decreases night vision by up to 25%.

According to the family of Mr. MTT, a resident of Vinh City currently being treated in the Intensive Care Unit of Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, although the accident occurred more than a month ago, Mr. T. is still undergoing treatment, with costs reaching hundreds of millions of VND. The cause of the accident was that after drinking alcohol, on the way from Quan Hanh town to Vinh, Mr. T. crashed into a roadside marker, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. "Luckily, it was midday when there was little traffic; otherwise, the consequences would have been unpredictable."

Road Traffic Police Team No. 5 checks driver's documents. Photo: D.C.

Strict control, severe penalties.

According to statistics from law enforcement agencies, 15% of serious traffic accidents are caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol, leading to impaired concentration, driving on the wrong side of the road or lane, failing to control speed, not paying attention, and improper overtaking. Therefore, violations of alcohol concentration limits are always strictly dealt with in patrol and control plans. In the three-day New Year's Day holiday in 2023 alone, 45 cases of alcohol concentration violations were processed.

In the patrol and control plan before, during, and after Tet (Lunar New Year), the provincial traffic police force continues to mobilize and deploy personnel and vehicles, making full use of technical equipment to organize patrols and controls, detect and strictly handle violations that directly lead to traffic accidents, especially violations related to alcohol levels while driving. Teams and stations coordinate with local police to actively disseminate information and conduct regular inspections and enforcement on national and provincial highways, focusing on inspections during lunchtime, evenings, holidays, and on roads with high traffic volume. In addition, the traffic police forces of all 21 districts, cities, and towns simultaneously deploy task forces to inspect and handle violations in general, including alcohol-related violations, on all roads under their jurisdiction.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Nam Hong - Deputy Head of the Traffic Police Department (Provincial Police)

This was also one of the key points emphasized by Comrade Le Hong Vinh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and Permanent Deputy Head of the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee - at the online conference summarizing traffic safety work in 2022 held on the morning of December 23rd, as well as in Official Dispatch No. 34/CD-UBND dated December 29, 2022, of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee on strengthening traffic safety during the New Year, Lunar New Year (Year of the Rabbit), and Spring Festival 2023.

Accordingly, the traffic police force is required to focus on inspecting, detecting, and handling violations that are the main causes of traffic accidents and congestion, such as: drivers operating vehicles under the influence of drugs, speeding violations on roads; vehicles carrying overloaded or oversized cargo, passenger transport vehicles carrying more people than permitted, and especially violations related to alcohol levels.

Traffic Police Team No. 1 conducts awareness campaigns for restaurant owners. (Photo: Dinh Tuyen)

Ensure strict and rigorous implementation of regulations, and anyone who violates them will be punished. If the violator is a Party member, member of the armed forces, or a State official or civil servant, inform their employing agency or unit for coordinated handling. In particular, it is strictly prohibited for officials, Party members, civil servants, and public employees to influence or interfere with the inspection and handling of traffic safety violations by functional forces, as stipulated in Directive No. 19/CT-UBND dated September 20, 2022, of the Provincial People's Committee.