Traffic violations drivers often make during the April 30 holiday

This year's April 30 - May 1 holiday coincides with the Hung Kings' death anniversary, so most workers have 5 days off, and the need to travel by car of many families has increased dramatically.

To make the journey home or on a long trip go smoothly, in addition to ensuring the technical condition of the vehicle, the driver also needs to pay attention to safety and compliance with regulations to avoid being "whistled" by the traffic police, making the trip less enjoyable.

When driving home or going out and being stopped by a traffic police officer will make the trip less enjoyable. Photo: Hoang Hiep

Below are some common mistakes when driving on April 30 - May 1, drivers should pay attention:

1. Speeding

When driving on unfamiliar roads or in densely populated areas, if you do not pay attention to the signs, you will easily be caught speeding. This is a common mistake today and is often handled by the traffic police.

According to Article 5 of Decree 100/2019/ND-CP (amended and supplemented by Decree 123/2021/ND-CP), speeding violations by cars, depending on the severity of the violation, can be fined from 800,000 VND to 12 million VND, and the driver's license can be revoked for up to 4 months.

Pay close attention to the "Densely populated area" sign to promptly adjust your speed appropriately.

2. Parking in an illegal location

On long trips, especially to tourist destinations with beautiful scenery, having to stop and park your car in the road corridor is quite common. However, you should stop and rest in permitted places, both to ensure the safety of your car and other vehicles, and to avoid being fined.

Article 18 of the Road Traffic Law clearly stipulates that when stopping or parking a vehicle on the road, the driver must comply with the following regulations: Signal to notify other drivers; stop or park the vehicle in a place with a wide roadside or on land outside the roadway; in case the roadside is narrow or there is no roadside, the vehicle must stop or park close to the right edge of the road in the direction of travel;

In cases where a stopping or parking area has been built on the road or where stopping or parking areas have been designated, the vehicle must be stopped or parked at those locations; after parking, the vehicle may only be left after taking safety measures; if the parked vehicle occupies part of the roadway, a danger sign must be placed immediately in front and behind the vehicle to inform other vehicle drivers;

Do not open the car door, leave the car door open or get out of the car when safety conditions have not been ensured; when stopping the car, do not turn off the engine and do not leave the driving position; cars parked on a slope must have their wheels chocked.

According to Decree 100/2019/ND-CP, illegal parking can result in a fine of between VND400,000 and VND2 million, depending on the case, and a driver's license can be revoked for up to 3 months. If illegal parking is found on the highway, the driver can be fined up to VND12 million.

3. Using alcohol while driving

During long holidays like April 30th - May 1st, many families and groups of friends will gather and toast each other with a glass of beer or wine. However, if you have to drive afterwards, you should consider the fine and the consequences of alcohol before deciding to raise your glass.

Alcohol will greatly affect your driving skills, causing your ability to judge situations on the road to decrease and your vision to weaken, which can lead to traffic accidents. Not only that, if the traffic police detect alcohol in your breath or blood while driving, you can be severely punished.

According to Article 5, Decree 100/2019/ND-CP, if there is even the smallest alcohol concentration in the blood or breath, you can be fined from 6-40 million VND, have your driving license revoked for up to 24 months, and if you violate at any level, your vehicle will be immediately impounded.

Violating alcohol concentration at any level, traffic police will immediately detain the vehicle. Photo: Traffic police

4. Running a red light

Due to the holiday mentality, traffic police are less on duty, so many drivers “look around” and then run red lights. This is a very “ugly” behavior, with a high risk of leading to traffic accidents. At the same time, running red lights can also be severely punished.

Specifically, the act of driving a car "Not obeying traffic light signals" will be fined from 3-5 million VND. At the same time, the driver's license will be revoked for 1-3 months according to Article 5, Decree 100/2019/ND-CP.

5. Not wearing a seat belt

Seat belts play an extremely important role in ensuring the life of the driver as well as all passengers in the car in situations of sudden braking, collision, etc. However, during trips, many people often forget to wear seat belts, and only when the traffic police fine them do they "scratch their heads and ears".

According to Clause 3, Article 5 of Decree 100/2019/ND-CP on administrative sanctions in the field of road and railway traffic, the act of "Not wearing a seat belt while driving on the road; carrying people in a car without wearing a seat belt (in a position equipped with a seat belt) while the car is running" will be fined from 800,000 to 1 million VND.

In addition, passengers sitting in a moving vehicle without wearing a seat belt (in a position equipped with a seat belt) will also be fined from 300,000 to 500,000 VND per person according to Clause 5, Article 11 of Decree 100/2019/ND-CP.

6. Using the phone while driving

When driving, using the phone with your hands will distract your concentration, causing traffic safety problems. In fact, many traffic accidents occur because the driver is distracted by looking at or listening to the phone.

If the traffic police detect you using your phone while driving, you may be fined 1-2 million VND according to Clause 4, Article 5 of Decree 100/2019/ND-CP.

Using a hand-held phone while driving can also be detected by traffic police and severely punished. Illustrative photo

7. Driving in the wrong lane or part of the road

The “wrong lane” error - for example, if you drive a car but enter the lane reserved for motorbikes, you can be fined quite heavily, from 3-5 million VND according to Clause 5, Article 5 of Decree 100/2019/ND-CP.

As for the offense of "not obeying the commands and instructions of signs and road markings" - for example, going straight in a lane with a right turn arrow - you will be fined from 300,000 to 400,000 VND.

8. Not bringing all necessary documents

Another extremely important thing before leaving for any trip is that you must always make sure to bring at least 4 types of documents as required including: Vehicle registration, driver's license, inspection certificate, and compulsory civil liability insurance.

If you do not bring the above documents, you can also be fined by the traffic police from 200,000 to 6 million VND depending on the type of vehicle documents and the specific error due to you "forgetting" or "not having".

In addition, whether the trip is short or long, checking the vehicle before departure is very important.

Experts say that it only takes about 1 minute to "check" around the car and you can have a safer trip. Parts that can be checked with the naked eye include: Are the tires flat or anything unusual? Is there enough coolant? Is the lighting system and horn still working?