From the current situation of young people, teenagers, students violating the Road Traffic Law, causing frustration for traffic participants such as driving without helmets; lining up in threes or fours; doing wheelies, weaving, swerving... causing disorder in traffic safety (ATGT) which has recurred recently, many opinions say that to solve the "root" of the problem is to create a change from awareness to behavior, forming a traffic culture among young people. To do so, propaganda work must be prioritized and implemented regularly, not just during Traffic Safety Month or peak periods. However, in the era of technology 4.0, this work needs to be innovated in both form and content, suitable for psychology and age, avoiding dryness and boredom.
According to Mr. Phan Huy Chuong - Deputy Head of the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee: Every year, the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee coordinates with the Provincial Police, the Department of Education and Training, the Provincial Youth Union, and the Traffic Safety Committees of districts, cities, and towns to organize the Youth and Children's Day with Traffic Culture program. This is an annual program, aiming to promote propaganda and education activities on awareness of compliance with the Road Traffic Law, thereby raising awareness and creating clear changes in behavior in the process of participating in traffic of young people. In particular, special attention is paid to the application of digital technology to propagate traffic safety laws. "In addition to innovating and diversifying propaganda forms such as creating staged skits, organizing driving tests, and online traffic safety research competitions, the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee also coordinates with newspapers and radio stations to produce reports broadcast on official channels, Fanpage pages of all levels and sectors, and social networking platforms in general" - Mr. Chuong said.
Regarding this issue, Mr. Dao Cong Loi - Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training also said: The content of traffic safety propaganda for students at all levels is always of interest to the department. For example, on the occasion of the opening of the school year, which is the peak month for traffic safety for students going to school, the department always directs schools to organize students to sign a commitment to strictly comply with the law on road, rail and inland waterway traffic safety. In addition, schools also encourage parents to sign a commitment not to give their children motorbikes when they are not old enough, and to increase reminders for their children about the awareness of obeying the law when participating in traffic. However, Mr. Dao Cong Loi also emphasized: "Propaganda only affects awareness at the time of propaganda; the most important thing is to affect behavior when participating in traffic". Therefore, speaking at the conference to disseminate Prime Minister's Directive No. 10 on ensuring traffic safety and order, Mr. Loi requested that traffic police forces in districts, cities and towns increase patrols, remind and punish students who violate traffic safety, especially during rush hours to increase deterrence, education and guide students towards civilized traffic behavior.
Recently, the People's Committee of Nghe An province has also issued many documents directing functional forces, local authorities, departments, branches and organizations to implement many solutions to reduce traffic accidents in all three criteria (number of cases, number of deaths and injuries). In particular, special attention is paid to propaganda work to raise awareness of "respecting the law to build a culture of safe traffic" for young people.
In Plan No. 61/KH-UBND dated February 3, 2023, the Provincial People's Committee requested the Department of Education and Training to continue to direct schools and educational institutions to organize propaganda on traffic safety laws and traffic culture for students. Check and review the signing of commitments not to violate traffic safety laws for schools and educational institutions, especially the commitment not to use (or rent) vehicles that do not ensure traffic safety to pick up and drop off students. Coordinate with competent authorities in propaganda and dissemination of traffic safety laws; strengthen propaganda on regulations on ensuring road traffic safety and order, especially the mandatory regulation on wearing helmets when riding motorbikes, scooters, electric bicycles, and electric motorbikes. At the same time, continue to effectively implement education through teaching materials and extracurricular activities on traffic safety.
The Provincial People's Committee also requested the Provincial Youth Union to widely deploy activities to participate in ensuring traffic safety, the Youth with traffic culture campaign; develop a long-term plan to build a civilized, modern traffic culture among young people, suitable for the new situation. At the same time, direct the Youth Union bases to organize communication activities on traffic safety and order on social networks Facebook, Zalo... among union members, young people.
Next, in Document No. 326/KH-UBND dated May 15, 2023, the Provincial People's Committee continued to request the Department of Education and Training and the Provincial Youth Union to direct schools, educational institutions, and youth organizations in the province to organize propaganda activities, forums, and dialogues in schools on topics and solutions to improve road traffic safety through actions to participate in green - clean - safe traffic; mobilize students to voluntarily comply with regulations on traffic safety laws.
In order to promptly prevent and handle the situation of young people and students violating the Road Traffic Law, in Document No. 3239/UBND-NC dated April 26, 2023, the Provincial People's Committee also requested the Provincial Police to proactively do a good job of basic investigation of vehicles and traffic participants, especially cases of students with poor awareness, often violating traffic safety order for propaganda and education. At the same time, through communication channels, national database on population, traffic surveillance camera system... to determine the time, time frame, method, route and area where young people often organize illegal racing, drive in a row, weave and zigzag; promptly detect signs of gathering, cheering, inciting, racing and take measures to organize prevention and strict handling from the beginning, not allowing complicated incidents to arise.
Based on the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, the functional sector said that it will continue to strengthen working groups to conduct secret patrols, disguise themselves in uniform, coordinate with the traffic police force to patrol openly to promptly handle violations. At the same time, arrange forces to infiltrate social networks to monitor youth associations and groups to grasp and promptly prevent activities of enticing, luring, gathering together to compete in racing, weaving, weaving... right from the beginning; use images and clips provided by the people themselves when traveling on the road to investigate and handle cases of young people violating the Road Traffic Law.
In addition to strictly handling young drivers who violate traffic safety, many opinions say that it is necessary to increase the form of handling for vehicle owners who hand over or allow unqualified students to drive vehicles.
According to Dr. Lawyer Nguyen Trong Hai - Director of Trong Hai Law Firm and Associates: The current Road Traffic Law stipulates that people aged 16 and over are allowed to drive motorbikes under 50cc, and people aged 18 and over are allowed to drive motorbikes of 50cc or more. Drivers participating in traffic must meet the age and health requirements specified in Article 60 of this Law and have a driver's license appropriate to the type of vehicle they are allowed to drive, issued by a competent authority.
In case of violation, not only the driver will be administratively sanctioned but also the person who hands over the vehicle to a person under the age of driving will be sanctioned. Specifically, Point d, Clause 5, Article 30, Decree 100/2019/ND-CP on administrative sanctions in the field of road and railway traffic stipulates: Fine from 800,000 to 2,000,000 VND for individuals, from 1,600,000 to 4,000,000 VND for organizations that are owners of motorbikes, motorbikes and similar vehicles to motorbikes for the following violations: Handing over the vehicle or allowing a person who does not meet the conditions prescribed in Clause 1, Article 58 of the Law on Road Traffic to drive the vehicle in traffic (including cases where the driver has a driver's license but it has expired or is in the period of being revoked). Therefore, if the authorities increase inspection and handling, it will contribute to limiting violations of the Road Traffic Law among students.
Reality shows that preventing young people and students from violating the Road Traffic Law requires a synchronous combination of education, management, and handling between schools, families, and authorities. In which the family factor is the most important, therefore, authorities recommend that parents strictly manage vehicles, do not buy or give their children vehicles to drive without a driver's license, remind children of their awareness and responsibility when participating in traffic, and correct and prevent violations from the beginning. In addition, parents themselves need to set an example in complying with the Road Traffic Law and behaving civilly when participating in traffic. In particular, do not interfere in the handling of violations by authorities to ignore their children's violations. Because the policy of "no forbidden zones, no exceptions" in handling traffic safety violations has been thoroughly implemented by the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee of Nghe An province through many official dispatches and directives.
At the conference to implement Directive No. 10 of the Prime Minister on ensuring traffic order and safety in the new situation, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van De once again emphasized the need to "strictly prohibit cadres and party members from interfering and influencing the handling of traffic law violations by competent agencies; strictly prohibit assigned forces from showing signs of "compliance" or ignoring the handling of violations in any form". Recently, the Central Party Secretariat issued Directive No. 23-CT/TW dated May 25, 2023 on strengthening the Party's leadership in ensuring traffic order and safety; which requires: Each cadre, party member, civil servant, public employee... must be exemplary and actively mobilize relatives, families and people to strictly implement regulations on ensuring traffic order and safety. All acts of interference or influence in the handling of traffic law violations by authorities are strictly prohibited.
Regarding this issue, Mr. Nguyen Nam Hong - Deputy Head of Traffic Police Department of the Provincial Police Department said: The authorities consistently hold the view that "there are no forbidden zones, no exceptions", all violations of the Road Traffic Law will be strictly handled according to the provisions of the law. Because in reality, if there is a situation of covering up and ignoring violations, it will cause a situation of "lawlessness" and, more dangerously, cause traffic accidents.
We believe that if there is strict management, good examples from families and the cooperation of schools, organizations, and functional sectors, violations of traffic safety and order will be increasingly reduced, and awareness of "respect for the law to build a culture of safe traffic" among young people, teenagers, and students will be increasingly raised.