A 58-year-old unlicensed driver of a 16-seater passenger van was fined VND22 million (US$888) for parking and sleeping in an emergency stopping area on the Vinh Hao-Phan Thiet Expressway in Binh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam on Saturday.

Traffic police officers issued the fine the following day against Nguyen Sau, a resident of Phu Yen Province, also located in the south-central region.

Local media reported that the vehicle owner was also fined VND5 million ($202) for handing over the car to an unlicensed driver.

Police discovered Sau sleeping on a blanket in front of the parked vehicle on the expressway at about 5:00 am.

He claimed that he was driving the empty vehicle from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Yen to return it to its owner when he felt sleepy, so he decided to stop and sleep on the expressway.

The 100-kilometer Vinh Hao-Phan Thiet Expressway, opened on May 19, 2023, lacks emergency stopping lanes and only has stopping areas every four to five kilometers, a factor that has contributed to numerous rear-end collisions.

There is only one rest stop along the expressway, failing to meet the demands of drivers and passengers, VnExpress reported.

From January to September, 13 traffic accidents happened on the Vinh Hao-Phan Thiet Expressway, killing nine people and injuring eight others.

Kinh Te & Do Thi (Economics & Urban Affairs) newspaper reported that the Binh Thuan Traffic Safety Board attributed accidents like these to the narrow roads, lack of emergency stopping lanes, and inadequate lighting systems.

Like us on Facebook or  follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!