Continue to strictly implement the Decree 168 on traffic penalties in Vietnam

Continue to strictly implement the Decree 168 on traffic penalties in Vietnam​ (Image from the Internet)

Continue to strictly implement the Decree 168 on traffic penalties in Vietnam

According to Official Dispatch 277/TTg-CN, ministries, central authorities, and local authorities are to proactively adhere closely to the regulations of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety and the Road Law, directives of the Communist Party, directives from the Government of Vietnam, and directives of the Prime Minister of Vietnam on ensuring road traffic order and safety to develop plans ensuring order and safety of traffic by their assigned missions and functions, with feasible and effective solutions, periodic reviews, summaries, and evaluations with specific indicators:

(1) Ministry of Public Security shall

- Take the lead, cooperates with relevant agencies to draft a Directive to strengthen the effective implementation of new regulations in the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, and submit it to the Prime Minister of Vietnam before March 31, 2025;

- Continue strict implementation of Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, the provisions of Decree 151/2024/ND-CP, and related legal documents to foster a habit of law compliance in road traffic, restore discipline in ensuring traffic order, and achieving the highest goal of reducing loss of life, health, and property for the people, ensuring that the safety and security of citizens are prioritized; the police force acts as the core advisor for the Communist Party branches and local governments to enhance the dissemination of the regulations of Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, enabling public awareness, and support for the functional agencies' activities;

- Comprehend the actual developments and implement solutions to address existing issues and challenges faced by citizens and businesses during the implementation of legal documents on traffic order and safety; monitor, urge, summarize, and evaluate the implementation of directives from the Prime Minister of Vietnam on ensuring traffic order and safety, and propose methods for continued implementation;

- Lead, alongside the Ministry of Transport, a review and propose reformation of the National Traffic Safety Committee and the Traffic Safety Committees of provinces and cities under central authority to meet new requirements and report to the Prime Minister of Vietnam in the first quarter of 2025;

- In the event of a particularly severe traffic accident, report the initial cause and situation of rescue operations to the Prime Minister of Vietnam no later than 2 hours post-incident; concurrently propose instructions for related ministries, central authorities, and local authorities to continue efforts in support and rehabilitation for affected individuals and accident remedy.

(2) Ministry of Transport shall

- Focus on effectively implementing the Road Law and the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety. Simultaneously focus on the development/adjustment of the Railway Law, Maritime Law, Inland Waterway, Aviation Law;

- Continue perfecting and legalizing standards, regulations, planning regarding traffic order and safety, such as traffic corridors, infrastructure design, traffic structure, warnings, signage, transportation vehicles,...;

- Along with the Ministry of Public Security and related agencies, promptly complete the reform project of the National Traffic Safety Committee and the Traffic Safety Committees of provinces and cities under central authority.

(3) Ministries, central authorities, and local authorities are to incorporate certain tasks into the plans of respective ministries and localities, focusing on key assignments as follows:

- Besides identifying direct causes and addressing individual/organizational responsibilities related to traffic accidents, analyze indirect causes, root causes (particularly reviewing legal regulatory shortcomings) leading to traffic accidents to prevent similar future incidents;

- Propose and implement sustainable solutions to reduce traffic congestion in large cities and urban areas, especially reviewing and suggesting amendments to legal inadequacies causing high-density population concentration in narrow areas, exerting pressure beyond the capability of the transportation infrastructure; intentionally stopped urban planning, high building density; low road and static traffic density, limited public and non-motor transportation, and multi-modal transport connectivity;

- Persistently and cohesively implement solutions ensuring student traffic safety, including topics on identifying and addressing student's traffic order and safety violations, traffic safety education for students; not providing vehicles to underage children; rules, guidelines for picking up and dropping off children and managing students to enhance student safety in traffic;

- Enhance management solutions for traffic safety, driver management at transportation businesses, including sharing information on driver health check management, monitoring drug use among drivers, clarifying transportation enterprise responsibility in implementing traffic order and safety regulations, as well as their accountability in traffic collisions; according to their authority deploy speed limit signage for road transport vehicles in their jurisdiction ensuring smooth operation for motor vehicles, maintain order and traffic safety conforming to the law;

- Continue comprehensive enforcement topics on patrol, control, and handling violations reducing high-risk behaviors leading to traffic accidents and causing significant impact during such incidents (drug, alcohol, or banned substance use while driving, speed violations, failure to comply with traffic light signals, wrong-way driving, not wearing helmets on motorcycles, not buckling seat belts in cars, phone use while driving, overloading,...); resolutely handle violations against road traffic order and safety law as stipulated under Decree 168/2024/ND-CP and related provisions.

- Promptly review and complete infrastructure development requirements under their authority, focusing on reviewing, rectifying, and organizing logical road signage systems, additional direction signs installation, lane division markings, repairing and rectifying traffic signal systems, reinstating or extending traffic light countdown systems; broadly organizing city and large urban traffic flow, preventing the "fix here, arise somewhere else" situation; maintain urban order, address sidewalk and road encroachments, illegal parking causing obstruction, and traffic congestion;

- Persistently promote changes in traffic participation awareness and behavior, cultivate a culture of traffic safety; innovate methods and enhance effective communication on traffic order and safety; focus on effective implementation of public communication, steering press agencies to intensively and effectively disseminate the positive impacts of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety and Decree 168/2024/ND-CP in establishing discipline and order in road traffic and transport activities, ensuring no exploitation or distortion.

Le Quang Nhat Minh

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE