Difficult to detect and handle violations of not wearing seat belts

Many people are still subjective

Although the incident happened a long time ago, every time Ms. Bui Thuy Vinh in Hung Dong commune (Vinh city) mentions it, she still feels sad. The story happened in September 2017, just a few days after the start of the new school year for her child to enter first grade, as usual after work, she drove to pick her child up from school. Because he had just entered first grade, he still had the habit of playing with toys, so she often left the toys right in the car for her child to play with after school, and often went to the back seat to play comfortably.

Unfortunately, that afternoon, while she was driving her child home from school, she encountered a middle school student riding a bicycle across the street, forcing Vinh to slam on the brakes. As a result, Vinh suffered minor injuries, while her son, who was standing in the car at the time, was thrown forward and hit his head on the dashboard. When he was taken to the hospital for an X-ray, the doctor concluded that he had a traumatic brain injury. Vinh's family had to take the child to Hanoi for treatment, then had to rest to regain strength for nearly 3 months before he could return to school.

Forming the habit of wearing seat belts in cars for children. Photo: Hai Vuong

According to Ms. Vinh: Like many other parents, my husband and I thought that simply letting our children sit in the car and locking the door carefully would be enough to feel secure, but in reality, many situations that happen on the road are unpredictable. Therefore, no matter where we go, near or far, as soon as we get in the car, the whole family puts on their seat belts. "In the beginning, my husband even wrote notes in the car to remind everyone not to forget," Ms. Vinh said.

The case of Ms. Vinh's family is just one of many accidents related to not wearing a seat belt while sitting in a car. Doctor Tran Ba ​​Bien - Head of the Emergency Department, Nghe An General Hospital said that among traffic accidents involving cars in general, whether serious or minor, we do not classify the cause, but in fact, if you wear a seat belt, the damage will be greatly reduced. Because the seat belt protects the person in the car by holding them in place in the event of an accident that could cause them to fly towards the windshield. The seat belt also keeps the person in the car safely in place in the event of sudden braking or collision.

According to statistics from the World Health Organization, wearing a seat belt when sitting in the front seat reduces the risk of death by 45 - 50% and the risk of serious injury by 20 - 45%; and reduces the risk of death and injury in the back seat by 25 - 75% when a traffic accident occurs.

Also because of that fact, previously Decree 171/2013/ND-CP only required car drivers and people sitting next to the driver to wear seat belts. Currently, Decree 46/2016/ND-CP regulating administrative penalties for violations in the field of road and railway traffic requires all people sitting in cars to wear seat belts. This is a regulation to ensure the safety of people in the car, but in reality, many drivers and people sitting in cars still do not really care, thinking that it is inconvenient, cumbersome...

Mr. Nguyen Lam Hong in Le Loi Ward (Vinh City) said that he had read a foreign study that out of 100 accidents, 70 people would survive if they wore seat belts, and those sitting in the back seat who did not wear seat belts could be 8 times more seriously injured. However, according to Mr. Hong, because he often drives in the city at low speeds, he is often subjective and rarely reminds the person sitting in the back.

Difficulty in handling violations

According to statistics from the Traffic Police Department (Provincial Police), from December 16, 2018 to February 15, 2019, through patrols and controls, 6,400 violations were detected, of which nearly 1,000 were violations of not wearing seat belts, of which most seat belt violations were detected through checking other driver violations.

Captain Pham Tien Luc - Dien Chau Traffic Police Station said that the unit still regularly fines people for not wearing seat belts while the vehicle is in motion, according to the previous regulations for the front seat passengers, but the new regulations apply to all those sitting in the vehicle in a position equipped with a seat belt. However, the inspection and fine process also encounters many difficulties. In addition to the fact that the front windshield of the car reflects light dimly, making it difficult to observe, most cars today have dark glass or sunshades, so from the outside looking in it is very difficult to detect whether the people in the car are wearing seat belts.

Traffic police of Vinh City Police increased patrols to control the implementation of seat belt wearing when sitting in cars. Photo: D.C.

Sharing the same opinion, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Duy Ha - Head of the Traffic Police Team of Vinh City Police added: Even when detecting and signaling to stop the vehicle, the driver often argues that he is wearing a seat belt but has just taken it off to get out of the vehicle to work with the force. Because there is not enough evidence and basis to handle the case, in many cases, the team mainly reminds and propagates to the people to understand the provisions of the law and the dangers that the driver and passengers must face when the vehicle has an accident and then allows the journey to continue.

Through patrols and inspections, many traffic police officers also said that normally new car models are equipped with a seat belt warning system, which can emit a sound to alert the driver and others that they have not fastened their seat belts when getting in the car. However, many car users find this warning system very "annoying" and have bought replacement seat belt plugs sold on the market and installed them directly into the available slot on the car. When plugged in, the car's electrical system will be "tricked" into recognizing it as a plugged-in seat belt, and will no longer emit warnings.

Wearing a seat belt in a car, no matter where you sit, is to protect yourself. Photo: Hai Vuong

With the above reality, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Nam Hong - Deputy Head of Traffic Police Department (Provincial Police) said that, in addition to detecting and handling violations, we will combine propaganda to raise awareness for people, creating the habit of wearing seat belts when participating in traffic similar to wearing helmets when riding motorbikes. However, people participating in traffic need to be proactive to form good habits.

Indeed, when participating in traffic, everyone wants to be safe first, not to avoid traffic police or to circumvent the law. That is why the self-awareness of traffic participants is the most important. Wearing a seat belt in a car, no matter where you sit, is to protect yourself and limit injuries if an accident happens. Therefore, all traffic participants need to comply and strictly follow. On the part of the authorities, it is necessary to increase inspection, supervision and severely punish violations. For cases of intentional violations or repeated violations, it is necessary to consider doubling the fine or adding additional sanctions to ensure deterrence.

Point K, Point L, Clause 1, Article 5, Decree 46/2016/ND-CP effective from August 1, 2016 on administrative sanctions for violations in the field of road and railway traffic stipulates: Fines from 100,000 VND to 200,000 VND for drivers of cars and similar vehicles who violate the following acts: Not wearing a seat belt (in a position equipped with a seat belt) while the vehicle is running; carrying people in a car without wearing a seat belt (in a position equipped with a seat belt) while the vehicle is running.

Dang Nguyen