Imprisonment for heavily drunk drivers in Vietnam is necessary: WHO rep
Saturday, May 09, 2015, 15:20 GMT+7
The World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Vietnam has proposed that authorities consider heavier penalties, including imprisonment, for heavily drunk drivers as a measure to improve traffic safety.
>> Drunk drivers should be charged criminally: Vietnam road directorate The rep, Nguyen Phuong Nam, made the recommendation at a conference held on Friday by the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) to review performance in the implementation of the regulation on punishing drivers of road vehicles with breath alcohol concentrations above acceptable levels. “Concerned agencies should consider applying heavier penalties [to drunk drivers]. Punishment by imprisonment for drivers with blood alcohol levels of over 80 mg/dl is rather necessary,” news website VietNamNet quoted Nam as saying. The WHO’s Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2014 shows that 36.2 percent and 0.7 percent of the total number traffic accidents in Vietnam involved abuse of alcohol by men and women respectively, Nam said. He also cited a recent WHO survey at hospitals across Vietnam saying that as much as 36 percent of patients of traffic accidents were involved in drinking liquor or beer. Khuat Viet Hung, deputy chairman of the NTSC, citing reports of law enforcement agencies, told the conference that 6.8 percent of all drivers of means of transport caused traffic accidents, according to VietNamNet.
This rate is alarming, so more effort should be put forth to improve traffic safety and reduce accidents, Hung said. Hung added that concerned agencies are considering amending Governmental Decree 171 on administrative sanctions on violations of regulations on road and railway traffic, with a view to adopt heavier punishment of acts which endanger traffic safety, including the act of drunk driving. Regarding the recommendation that criminal charges be levied against drunk drivers, Hung said that the NTSC has yet to mention this issue in the ongoing amendment to the Decree. “However, this is an issue that needs to be mulled over,” he added.
In late March, the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam, under the Ministry of Transport, 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, as a new move to improve road safety.
These proposed levels are higher than those at which drivers will be given the highest penalties in accordance with the said decree.
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Under Decree 171/2013 by the Government, a fine of VND500,000-1 million ($23.1-46.2) is applied to drunk drivers of motorbikes if they are found to have an alcohol level ranging from 0.25 mg to 0.40 mg per liter of breath, or 50-80 mg per 100 ml of blood. In addition, violators will have their driver’s license revoked for a month and their vehicle impounded for a week. With alcohol levels of over 0.4 mg per liter of breath, or 80 mg per 100 ml of blood, the fines for motorbike drivers range from VND2-3 million ($92.4-138.6). Such a driver will also have their vehicle impounded for a week and their driver’s license revoked for two months. As for drivers of automobiles, the fines are VND7-8 million ($323.4-369.6) for drivers with alcohol levels of 0.25-0.4 mg per liter of breath. In the case of the alcohol level being over 0.4 mg per liter of breath, the fine is VND10-15 million ($462-693). For both cases, drivers will have their automobiles impounded for a week and their driver’s license revoked for two months. |
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