From January 1, 2018, sitting in the back seat of a car without wearing a seat belt will be fined.

If the seat belt is not worn, both the rear seat passenger and the driver will be subject to administrative penalties.

» The difference between wearing and not wearing a seat belt

According to Decree 46/2016 regulating administrative penalties for violations in the field of road and railway traffic, from January 1, 2018, the act of sitting in the back seat of a car without wearing a seat belt will be punished.

Specifically, according to Clause 1, Article 5, a fine of VND 100,000 to VND 200,000 shall be imposed on the act of not wearing a seat belt (in a position equipped with a seat belt) while the vehicle is moving and the act of carrying a person in a car without wearing a seat belt (in a position equipped with a seat belt) while the vehicle is moving.

Thus, instead of only penalizing the driver and front seat passengers for not wearing seat belts as is currently the case, from January 1, 2018, this regulation will apply to all positions equipped with seat belts in the vehicle.

From January 1, 2018, not wearing a seat belt in the back seat will be fined. Illustrative photo.

Why wear seat belts?

According to the Traffic Police Department (C67, Ministry of Public Security), the seat belt in a car is a very small detail and not of great value. However, in terms of importance in protecting the lives of people in the car, the seat belt is at the top.

A seat belt typically consists of a belt and a buckle. Based on the crash sensor, information is transmitted to the belt control unit to automatically tighten the belt, thereby holding the body firmly from being thrown off the seat.

When a collision occurs, the inertia of the vehicle, driver and passengers in the vehicle are completely independent of each other. Suppose a head-on collision occurs causing the vehicle to suddenly stop, but because the driver and passengers are objects independent of the vehicle, they will continue to move forward. If the seat belt is not fastened, the person will be thrown forward and hit the windshield, steering wheel, dashboard... at a speed corresponding to the vehicle's speed before the collision, even in the case of a collision at high speed, the person can fly through the windshield and continue to collide with other objects during the movement.

Since glass is a hard material, the head is one of the most vulnerable parts of the body, so the risk of serious injury or death after a collision is very high. According to statistics, 75% of drivers who are ejected from the car due to not wearing a seat belt are killed.

When properly fastened, seat belts transmit most of the stopping force through the upper body, such as the pelvis and ribs. This force is applied to many points on the body, so it does not cause much damage and will greatly reduce the effects.

According to PLO