A criminal charge against drunk drivers or those steering overloaded trucks should be added to the Vietnamese Penal Code, the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam, under the Ministry of Transport, has recommended.

The directorate has suggested that the ministry ask law-making bodies to consider filing criminal charges against drunk drivers when their alcohol level is over 100 mg per 100 ml of blood or over 0.5 mg per liter of breath, local media reported, saying this suggestion is meant to improve road safety.

These proposed levels are higher than those at which drivers will be given the highest penalties in accordance with Government Decree 171/2013 on violations of traffic rules, said Nguyen Van Huyen, chief of the directorate.

Under the decree, drivers with alcohol levels of over 80 mg per 100 ml of blood or over 0.4 mg per liter of breath will be subject to the heaviest punishment, Huyen said.

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