Prime Minister points out 'black spots' right at the driving training facility

Speaking at an online conference to review traffic safety work in the first 6 months of the year on the afternoon of July 22, the Prime Minister noted: "Recently, the press has talked a lot about the phenomenon of famous, easy-going driving training centers, with methods to ensure passing the exam."

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Photo: Internet

"Registration inspection turns bad cars into good cars, but training is not strict, making "black spots" more dangerous than "black spots" on the road," said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister requested the closure of driving inspection or testing facilities that do not meet the conditions and have negative practices. At the same time, he also fought against corruption and negative practices in traffic safety work.

"Traffic police do not accept bribes or cover up criminals. In other fields, we resolutely say no to negativity and group interests," the Prime Minister reminded.

Low cost but highly effective measure

Referring to the figure of 8,000 deaths and 15,000 injuries each year from traffic accidents, the Prime Minister emphasized: “We are saying “human life is above all”, we need to pay attention to this important work to make society peaceful, families happier, and reduce suffering for people. That is a very heavy task”, the Prime Minister especially paid attention to the situation of drug-addicted and drunk drivers.

The Prime Minister directed to amend the Law on Road Traffic; amend and supplement the Law on Handling of Administrative Violations; Decree 46 in the direction of sharply increasing the penalty framework.

“Drug and alcohol addiction must have their driver's licenses revoked permanently like in some countries, or even if they smell alcohol, their driver's licenses will be revoked for several months. This is a low-cost but highly effective measure,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

The head of the Government requested the Ministry of Transport to do this soon, especially violations of alcohol and drug concentrations.

Driving test center. Illustration photo.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien also proposed revoking the driving licenses of drivers who test positive for drugs. According to him, alcohol addiction can be cured but drug addiction is very difficult to cure. If these cases are not dealt with harshly, they will cause more serious accidents in the future.

Reporting on the results of testing and handling of alcohol and drug violations by drivers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Vo Van Hoan said that the city has established 24 police patrol teams equipped with professional equipment for drug testing.

In 6 months, the city handled 6,552 cases of alcohol concentration violations, an increase of 1,803 cases compared to the same period, of which 212 cases were car drivers. Through inspection, 37 cases of container truck and truck drivers using drugs were discovered, and 21 cases with clear signs of violations were recorded.

Build a common database of drug-positive drivers.

Vice Chairman of Hai Duong Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Anh Cuong said that through inspections over the past 6 years, the province has discovered 217 cases of drivers testing positive for drugs. Since the beginning of the year, 48 cases have been discovered.

The list of drivers testing positive for drugs is sent to the Drug Crime Prevention Police Department of the Provincial Police for monitoring and management measures.

In addition to hospital supervision, drug testing of drivers also requires the coordination of the drug crime prevention police department to ensure the right person, the right job, objectivity, and accurate test results.

"In fact, there have been drivers who switched urine samples or asked someone else to take urine samples. When discovered and asked to follow the correct procedure, the result was that the driver tested positive for drugs," said Mr. Cuong.

He recommended that the National Traffic Safety Committee direct the implementation of mandatory, annual drug testing for drivers in the transport business.

At the same time, build a national database of drug-positive drivers for monitoring and management by authorities and for special businesses to not use. Avoid cases where drug-positive drivers move from one business to another, from one province to another.

He also proposed that the Ministry of Public Security equip local police with drug testing equipment so that drug testing can be a regular activity in the patrol and control activities of the traffic police force.

Deputy Minister of Justice Nguyen Khanh Ngoc said that the Ministry is currently drafting a law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the 2012 Law on Handling of Administrative Violations to include in the agenda at the National Assembly session in early 2020, expected to be passed at the session in October 2020.

The Ministry of Justice and other ministries and sectors are studying to add to the draft law recommendations such as penalties for businesses and vehicle owners, especially permanent revocation of driver's licenses for drug and alcohol violations.