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Make traffic offenders pay for not paying attention in Vietnam

Make traffic offenders pay for not paying attention in Vietnam

Wednesday, July 30, 2014, 12:05 GMT+7

We all know Vietnamese traffic has become legendary… for being truly, completely, utterly insane.

Yet, where would you start fixing Vietnam’s traffic problems

More police working around the clock?… About as likely as Elvis coming back.

No more accepting excuses from out of town people committing traffic infringements? “But officer I only bought this Maybach in Hanoi last week! I didn’t know it went this fast!”

Go back to basics – everyone gets a real license and real training… Hmmm… That will take more than a figure-eight test track and your relatives cheering you on.

Moreover, ha-ha, a real helmet? Well, that’s possible… But how many people could you convince that looking fashionable in the traffic is NOT the point of that plastic pink kitty decorated bubble you’re wearing? 

Insist that children stop at all traffic lights? Nah… It seems in Vietnam that adults have no moral problem with running down other people’s children.

Get the whole nation to look to the left, then the right, and then the left again before flying out of side streets? We can only wish… Or maybe Vietnamese would discover the human neck serves a variety of purposes…

Stupidity on the roads exists in every country. Human nature also does not change that much from country to country when it comes to traffic. We all get impatient. We have all used the horn in frustration and tried to get past the slow poke in front of us. Not to mention the madness of young male hormones on a motorbike or in a car; proving that warrior spirit will never defeat Newton’s Laws of Motion.

So why do traffic problems occur less in developed countries like Australia, where I am from?

Well, we make traffic users pay big time for stupid behavior on the road. Firstly, the police presence on Australian roads – or Japanese roads for that matter – is everywhere. The police are well trained and equipped for catching traffic offenders. Traffic monitoring and patrolling never stop and increase on big public holidays when people travel. So sooner, hopefully not later, regular traffic offenders are caught.

Cameras on the streets, in police vehicles and motorbikes help to catch traffic offenders and prove evidence in court. So he got away? Not really, if the cameras catch the license plate numbers, you’ll get a knock on the door.

Australian police don’t accept many excuses from traffic users. If you argue back the police can make it difficult for you – they check the vehicle for faults and fine you that as well as the original offence.

That brings me to the main point: behavior doesn’t usually change if the punishment isn’t harsh enough to make the person think twice about doing it again. Helmet use in Vietnam is increasing and more people are buying the right kinds of helmets, even for their kids. Why? I think because no one wants to pay big money or pay often for their choices. Therefore, money works as a deterrent.

Here are a few examples: If you don’t keep on your side of the road that’s AU$91 – that’s VND1.8 million and that’s the same as for doing a U-turn on an intersection which is as common as weddings here in Vietnam.

 If you fail to ‘give way’ (let the other person go first), it’s AU$341. That’s nearly VND7 million and it’s the same if you use a mobile phone! This also includes running a red light (not stopping for a red light).

(Source: https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/fines/demerit/points/)

However, what also works in Australia is that you can’t buy your way out of trouble. Bribes are a big no-no and offering compensation is set by the courts and doesn’t usually prevent people from going to jail as well for serious traffic accidents, not even if you are rich. Another method is impounding or permanently disposing of vehicles in serious cases, which could be a powerful deterrent in a country where the motorbike is still a major source of making a living.

It has become a culture of ‘I can do what I like on a road’ and ‘I can pay my way out of trouble’.  In Australia and quite a few other countries, the police are dedicated, honest and strict. Being lenient might be OK in some circumstances but only if the offender has made a real mistake. I’m not convinced that Vietnamese are that ignorant of what they do on the roads. I get sniggers from locals sometimes when I protest as they are saying, ‘What can you do? Nothing.’   

It all starts in the schools. Respect for the society also means respecting those rules that protect people – traffic rules and safety rules to name but two examples. However, that can only happen if the reasons are clearly explained – the benefits are to everyone and it brings shame to the individual who thinks he is above these most practical laws.

I have not even begun to scratch the surface of this topic – motorist training, corruption issues, bad roads, and stupid behavior: no headlights at night, three on a bike, no helmets, crazy bus drivers, playing chicken at night on the national highways – the list is long…

For me that answer lies in changing people into obeying the traffic laws. Attitudinal training, changing the way people think and correcting unsuitable behavior, horror campaigns, boosting media coverage, not of accidents, but the stupidity behind the accidents – all these could help.

Tuoi Tre

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