Motorcycles crashing onto the highway: What can be done to stop this at the source?
Despite strict legal prohibitions and increased penalties, motorcycles and scooters still enter highways, including the North-South expressway through Nghe An province, posing a serious risk of accidents. To prevent this situation, in addition to the involvement of law enforcement and management units, the most important factor remains the awareness and compliance with traffic laws by road users.
HThe threat is always present.
Highways are designed exclusively for motorized vehicles and can handle high speeds. Therefore, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, and pedestrians are strictly prohibited from using this type of road to ensure traffic safety.
According to Government Decree No. 168/2024/ND-CP, drivers of motorcycles and mopeds entering expressways will be fined between 4 and 6 million VND and have 6 points deducted from their driver's license.
Those who cause traffic accidents will be fined between 10 and 14 million VND, and 10 points will be deducted from their driver's license. However, in reality, there are still many cases of motorcyclists deliberately entering the highway.
Nguyen Van Tien, a frequent traveler on the Dien Chau - Bai Vot expressway, said he has been startled many times by the sudden appearance of motorbikes in front of him. "It's very difficult to react when a car is traveling at high speed and encounters a motorbike. Just one unexpected situation can lead to a serious accident," Tien shared.
Sharing the same concern, Mr. Tran Anh Duc believes that the presence of motorbikes on highways significantly increases the risk of traffic accidents. While cars travel at speeds of 80 km/h or more, motorbikes travel at much lower speeds, creating a large difference in speed and making collisions very likely.
In reality, many tragic accidents involving motorcycles entering expressways have been recorded. A typical example is the accident that occurred at noon on July 10th, on the access road to the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway (the section passing through the Dau Giay interchange, Dong Nai province).
According to initial information, at approximately 11:50 AM on the same day, a 29-seat passenger bus was traveling from National Highway 1 onto the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway en route to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon reaching Km1+150, near the Dau Giay interchange, the bus unexpectedly collided with a motorbike traveling on the expressway access road. The strong impact caused the motorbike rider to fall to the ground and die instantly.
Earlier, in the early morning of June 25th, on Thang Long Avenue (Hanoi), a motorcyclist who entered the highway lane for vehicles traveling at 100 km/h also died after colliding with a truck.
According to traffic experts, highways are a unique traffic environment designed for vehicles traveling at high speeds. Meanwhile, motorcycles and scooters are not suitable for this type of road, easily creating conflicts with other vehicles and posing a significant risk of serious accidents.
In reality, patrols and inspections have shown that many motorcyclists do not fully understand the dangers of entering roads designated for high-speed vehicles. Just one unexpected situation can cause a two-wheeled vehicle to lose balance, be swept into the flow of traffic, or leave vehicles behind unable to react in time, leading to serious accidents.
Lieutenant Colonel Pham Hong Chinh - Team Leader of Highway Traffic Police Team No. 4, Department 6 (Traffic Police Department), in charge of the route National Highway 45 - Nghi Son - Dien Chau - Bai Vot - Ham Nghi - Vung Ang - Bung - Van Ninh - Cam Lo.
Synchronizing multiple solutions
In order to prevent motorcycles from entering the highway, the traffic police have recently implemented a comprehensive set of solutions, ranging from public awareness campaigns, patrols, and inspections to strictly penalizing violations.
Authorities proactively coordinate with local governments in areas where the expressway passes through to organize awareness campaigns; they also regularly broadcast announcements through local public address systems to ensure people understand legal regulations, penalties, and safety risks when driving motorcycles on the expressway.
Alongside public awareness campaigns, traffic police forces organize rotating patrols and inspections day and night at numerous entry and exit points of the expressway, especially at locations frequently used by people to enter the expressway. However, the situation of motorcycles and scooters entering the expressway still persists.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Pham Hong Chinh, from April 2026 to the present, in addition to promptly reminding dozens of cases, the authorities have handled 5 cases of violations.
Controlling traffic violations is challenging due to the 354 km long highway with 22 interchanges, while the enforcement force is insufficient. Furthermore, some people still lack a full understanding of the dangers of riding motorbikes on the highway, and some even have a complacent attitude, believing they are only traveling a short distance, leading to repeated violations.
According to Mr. Chu Duc Duan, Deputy General Director of Phuc Thanh Hung Investment Joint Stock Company, the project enterprise managing and operating the Dien Chau - Bai Vot expressway, in addition to coordinating with functional forces in monitoring and handling violations, the unit is gradually applying technology to detect motorcycles and bicycles entering the expressway at the beginning of the interchanges.
Currently, a vehicle identification system using cameras has been installed at the intersection with National Highway 46B. When a motorcycle, moped, or bicycle is detected entering the expressway, the system automatically records the image and issues a warning to the driver. Simultaneously, operating personnel and patrol units can promptly approach and guide the vehicle off the expressway as quickly as possible, minimizing the risk of accidents.
The system's goal is not only to process violations but, more importantly, to provide early warning and prevent risks from the moment a vehicle enters the highway.
Mr. Chu Duc Duan - Deputy General Director of Phuc Thanh Hung Investment Joint Stock Company, the project enterprise managing and operating the Dien Chau - Bai Vot expressway.
Clearly, preventing motorcycles from entering highways cannot rely solely on fines or the constant presence of law enforcement. Besides sufficiently deterrent penalties, a coordinated effort is needed between law enforcement agencies, infrastructure management units, and technological solutions to detect, warn, and prevent violations from the outset.
However, most importantly, it is the awareness and compliance with the law of each road user that matters, because even a moment of carelessness can cost one's own life and the lives of others.
