In Japan, drinking one glass of beer with an alcohol concentration while driving can result in 3 years in prison.
The National Assembly Library has posted a reference document on the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, which includes references to the regulations on alcohol concentration penalties of other countries.
Driving under the influence of alcohol is potentially dangerous. Illustration: Xuyen Dong
According to the Library of Congress, in Asia, most countries strictly punish drivers who violate alcohol concentration regulations. Some of the countries that can be mentioned are: China, South Korea, Japan and Singapore.
Japan is a country with some of the harshest penalties in the world for crimes related to drinking and driving.
With an alcohol concentration of 0.15 mg/liter of breath (equivalent to 1 glass of beer), the driver is considered to have committed the crime of "driving while not sober", and is sentenced to up to 3 years in prison and 500,000 yen (about 4,500 USD or 104 million VND).
When traffic police detect a driver “driving under the influence of alcohol,” the violator can be punished with up to five years in prison and a fine of 1 million yen (about 200 million VND). In particular, if the vehicle of a drunk or intoxicated driver is carrying passengers, the passengers will also be fined or even imprisoned.
Japan stipulates penalties for drunk driving causing an accident as 20 years for fatal accidents and 15 years for non-fatal accidents.
Even because the number of cyclists is so large, in Japan, cyclists are also subject to the same alcohol regulations as car drivers to ensure the safety of pedestrians.
China has two levels of punishment for driving under the influence of alcohol: Driving under the influence of alcohol (alcohol concentration from 20mg to less than 80mg in every 100ml of blood) and driving under the influence of alcohol (alcohol concentration from 80mg or more in every 100ml of blood).
For the first type of behavior, the penalty is from 1,000 to under 2,000 yuan (from 3.5 million to under 7 million VND), the driver's license is suspended for 6 months. If driving for business purposes, the penalty is 15 days of detention, a fine of 5,000 yuan (17.5 million VND), the driver's license is revoked, and the driver's license cannot be reissued for 5 years.
For the second type of behavior, the driver's license will be revoked, criminal liability will be prosecuted (detention from more than 1 month to less than 6 months), and the driver's license will not be reissued for 5 years. If the driver is driving for business purposes, the driver's license will be revoked, and the driver's license will not be reissued for 10 years; if the license is reissued, the driver is not allowed to drive for business purposes.
If the above two types of behavior cause a serious accident, you will be prosecuted, have your driver's license revoked, and be banned from driving for life.
In South Korea, despite being a country that consumes a lot of alcohol, just three glasses of wine can send drivers to jail.
With an alcohol concentration exceeding 0.05 mg/l of breath, the driver will be charged with a criminal offense and can be imprisoned for 3 years and fined 10 million won (about 8,800 USD or 206 million VND) and the driver's license will be revoked or suspended depending on the level.
In Southeast Asia, Singapore has a very strict and unforgiving legal system for irresponsible driving. Like Japan, Singapore has penalties of imprisonment, fines and community service for driving after consuming alcoholic beverages.
If found to have an alcohol concentration of over 0.35 mg/liter of breath, the driver will be fined up to 5,000 SGD (equivalent to 3,600 USD or 85 million VND) and face 6 months in prison.
In Singapore, penalties are based on a case-by-case basis. Penalties are determined based on two factors: the dangerousness of the act and the alcohol level of the driver. The most serious offences can result in criminal prosecution and penalties including jail time and community service.
For repeated offenses, the penalty will also increase. Singapore imposes a prison term of 6 to 12 months and a fine of 3,000 to 10,000 SGD (from 50 to 130 million VND) for drivers who commit a second offense, and a fine of 30,000 SGD (510 million VND) and 3 years in prison, with a permanent license revocation for drivers who commit a third offense.