Nghe An fines nearly 3,000 cases of handing over vehicles to underage people

Not old enough to drive a motorbike

According to statistics from the National Traffic Safety Committee, traffic accidents involving motorbikes and mopeds account for about 70% of all accidents each year. Of these, adolescents, teenagers, and students account for a significant proportion. In particular, the situation of students driving vehicles under the legal age is increasingly common, contributing to an increased risk of traffic accidents.

In particular, there have been many tragic accidents involving teenagers and students. A typical example is a serious accident at around 10pm on February 21 on National Highway 7A, passing through Lan village, Chieu Luu commune, Ky Son district. Two teenage boys traveling from Tuong Duong district to Ky Son district collided with a motorbike carrying three female secondary school students going in the opposite direction. The accident left three people seriously injured, and two victims died.

In addition to patrolling and strictly handling traffic violations, the authorities have also increased the verification and strict handling of cases of handing over motorbikes and electric motorbikes to students when they are not old enough to use them. Accordingly, in 2024, the whole province discovered 2,791 violations related to handing over or leaving vehicles to people who are not qualified to operate them. At the same time, the authorities have sent 19,206 violation notices to schools to promptly take measures to handle and educate students.

Regarding the cause of traffic safety violations among students, according to the assessment of the authorities, the coordination between schools, families and society in managing and educating students about traffic law compliance is still ineffective. In addition, a number of parents and guardians are still indifferent and irresponsible in managing their children. Statistics show that more than 71% of traffic accidents involving students originate from driving motorbikes over 50cc, which is the result of giving students vehicles when they do not meet the required conditions.

According to a high school teacher in Vinh City, although the school strictly prohibits students from using motorbikes over 50 cm³, at the same time, implementing educational deterrent measures, lowering conduct..., but there are still students who violate. Some parents find every excuse to justify letting their children drive when they are not old enough, such as the distance from home to school is far or because the students wake up late...

Strictly handle vehicle owners

In fact, every year, the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee coordinates with the Provincial Police, the Department of Education and Training, the Provincial Youth Union and the Traffic Safety Committees of districts, cities and towns to organize programs such as "Youth and Children's Day with Traffic Culture", "Traffic Safety for Students Going to School", "Students Building a Safe Traffic Culture", etc. to raise awareness and educate the consciousness of complying with the Road Traffic Law for youth, teenagers, students and pupils.

These programs specifically address underage driving and driving without a driver’s license. However, traffic violations among this age group are still quite common.

The preliminary report on 1 year of implementing Directive No. 31/CT-TTg dated December 21, 2023 of the Prime Minister on "Strengthening the work of ensuring traffic order and safety for students in the new situation", by the People's Committee of Nghe An province pointed out that, although many propaganda measures have been implemented to students, the awareness of traffic law compliance of a part of students is still limited.

At the same time, many parents are still subjective in letting their children drive vehicles when they are not old enough. Furthermore, the coordination between schools, families and society in managing and educating students about traffic safety laws is still lacking in consistency and effectiveness.

According to Comrade Bui Thanh An - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee: To effectively implement Directive No. 31/CT-TTg dated December 21, 2023 of the Prime Minister, Nghe An province will continue to strictly implement the directions of the Government and the Ministry of Public Security on propaganda and education of laws on traffic order and safety in educational institutions. Measures include organizing the signing of commitments to emulate compliance with traffic laws for parents, students, officials, teachers and staff, along with guidance on safe traffic participation skills.

On the side of the Provincial Police, we will continue to strongly implement the topic of ensuring traffic safety for students, in order to minimize traffic accidents related to this age group. The Provincial Police will increase patrols, control and strictly handle violations, at the same time, notify the list of students violating the law to the Education Department and educational institutions. For schools with a high number of violations, the Department of Education and Training will consider the responsibility and strictly handle the head.

In addition, research the plan to install surveillance cameras near the school gate to record traffic violations by students, as a basis for handling and evaluating emulation for classes, teachers and students. Check and handle illegal parking lots near the school according to regulations...

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The act of "handing over a vehicle to an unqualified person to drive" is a violation of the law and can be subject to both administrative and criminal penalties. Regarding administrative penalties, according to Decree 168/2024/ND-CP effective from January 1, 2025, the fine for individuals can be up to 10 million VND and for organizations it is 20 million VND.
Regarding criminal liability, Article 264 of the 2015 Penal Code, amended in 2017, stipulates that if the person delivering the vehicle knows that the recipient does not have a driver's license, is under the influence of alcohol, beer or stimulants, or does not meet other conditions as prescribed, but still delivers the vehicle, leading to serious consequences such as causing death, serious injury or property damage of VND 100 million or more, the person delivering the vehicle may be fined from VND 10 to 50 million, non-custodial reform for up to 3 years, or imprisoned from 6 months to 7 years.

Dr. Lawyer Nguyen Trong Hai - Director of Trong Hai Law Firm and Associates

Thus, it can be seen that, in addition to strengthening inspection and handling by the traffic police force, the authorities need to actively coordinate with schools to promote propaganda and raise awareness among students about complying with the provisions of the Traffic Law.

In cases of vehicle handover violations that lead to serious consequences, it is necessary to investigate responsibility and strictly handle the individual who handed over the vehicle to create deterrence. At the same time, parents also need to strengthen the management of their children, absolutely do not hand over the vehicle to children who are not old enough to drive, to protect safety and avoid creating legal risks for the whole family.