How did the Government of Vietnam direct the handling of the especially serious traffic accident in Long An Province?
Official Telegram of the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam on Handling the Particularly Serious Traffic Accident in Long An Province
On April 23, 2023, the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam signed Official Telegram 293/CD-TTg in 2023 to deal with the particularly serious traffic accident in Long An Province.
The Official Telegram outlines the incident as follows:
At approximately 4 p.m. on April 21, 2023, on route DT824 in My Hanh Nam Commune, Duc Hoa District, Long An Province, a particularly serious traffic accident occurred. This was caused by a vehicle with license plate number 49C-296.01 (allegedly driven by a suspect transporting drugs) colliding directly with the traffic police force on duty performing patrol and control tasks, enforcing security and traffic safety regulations. This resulted in the death of a traffic police lieutenant from Duc Hoa District Police along with two civilians.
The Prime Minister deemed this as a particularly dangerous act of hooliganism and obstruction of law enforcement officers on duty. It directly infringes on the health and lives of police officers and citizens.
The Prime Minister expressed condolences to the family of the deceased traffic police lieutenant and the families of the other victims. He directed the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Transport, Long An People's Committee, and other relevant agencies and units to address, mitigate the consequences, visit, support, and encourage the families of the victims in the accident.
Previously, the Prime Minister had affirmed "Determined prosecution, investigation, and strict handling of traffic accidents showing signs of criminal activity and those obstructing law enforcement officers per applicable laws" as one of the key tasks and solutions for ensuring road traffic order and safety in the new situation outlined in Directive 10/CT-TTg in 2023.
How the Government of Vietnam directs handling the particularly serious traffic accident in Long An Province?
Prime Minister’s Directive on Handling Drug Vehicle Crash into Traffic Police in Long An
Based on the content of Official Telegram 293/CD-TTg in 2023, to mitigate the consequences of the drug vehicle crashing into the traffic police and prevent similar cases, the Prime Minister directs the following to the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Transport, Long An People's Committee, and related agencies and units:
(1) Ministry of Public Security
- Direct the Long An Provincial Police to promptly investigate, verify, and strictly handle per the law the individual involved in this hooligan act and obstructed law enforcement.
- Direct police units and localities to tighten control and strictly handle similar cases.
- Complete procedures and submit to competent authorities for consideration and posthumous honor of the traffic police lieutenant as a martyr and implement policies for the family of the deceased per applicable laws.
(2) Long An People's Committee, Head of Long An Traffic Safety Committee
Direct the relevant provincial agencies and units to:
- Visit, support, and encourage the families of the deceased victims in the crash.
- Enhance patrol, control, and strict handling of violations related to traffic order and safety; quickly investigate, clarify causes, and strictly handle organizations and individuals responsible for causing the accident.
(3) Ministry of Transport
Direct the Transport Inspectorate and local Departments of Transport, Traffic Police, and local police units to:
- Implement solutions as directed by the Prime Minister in Directive 10/CT-TTg in 2023.
- Focus on directing the prevention and handling of acts of obstructing law enforcement officers.
(4) Chairpersons of People's Committees in Provinces
Thoroughly implement Directive 10/CT-TTg in 2023 of the Prime Minister.
Duties of the Ministry of Public Security in Ensuring Road Traffic Order and Safety in the New Situation According to 10/CT-TTg
In Directive 10/CT-TTg in 2023, the Government of Vietnam directs the Ministry of Public Security to perform the following tasks in ensuring road traffic order and safety in the new situation:
- Lead and cooperate with relevant ministries and central authorities to complete the dossier of the Road Traffic Order and Safety Law Project, to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval.
- Lead and cooperate with the Ministry of Transport and People's Committees in provinces to conduct a nationwide inspection of passenger transport vehicles, container trucks (to be completed in Q2/2023).
- Develop a comprehensive scheme on vehicle license plate identification and limiting personal vehicle registration, report to the Government in Q4/2023.
- Direct police units and localities to strengthen patrol, inspection, control, and handling of traffic order and safety violations, focusing on behaviors that are major causes of serious traffic accidents. Regularly and decisively control the alcohol levels of traffic participants. Enhance the application of science and technology to innovate fundamentally and dramatically the methods of patrol, control, and handling of violations.
- Study, aggregate, and propose solutions to prevent, address, and mitigate traffic congestion; develop and supplement plans for preventing and handling traffic congestion suitable to the actual conditions in each road and locality, minimizing prolonged traffic congestion.
- Through patrol work, control, and investigation and handling of traffic accidents, promptly propose remedies for traffic organization inconsistencies. The proposed solutions must clearly define the responsibilities of each agency while monitoring, urging, and collecting documents to handle irresponsible individuals and organizations for not promptly taking measures to address the proposed issues, resulting in particularly serious traffic accidents with signs of crime.
- Cooperate with the Ministry of Transport to study amending regulations on traffic violation penalties towards increasing severity and forms of punishment, especially for drivers with alcohol levels, intentional violations, and repeat offenders within a certain period; supplement administrative sanctions like compulsory public labor and point deductions on driver’s licenses; cooperate with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Justice to study regulations on revoking drug users’ and drug addicts’ driver’s licenses.
- Promptly complete the Central Information Command and Control Center’s database of the Traffic Police Force at the Ministry of Public Security (Traffic Police Department) and connect it with local police and related ministries and central authorities for command, control, monitoring, and handling traffic order and safety violations.
- Direct the investigative police agency to organize thorough investigations and strict handling of traffic accidents conformable to the law; in the investigation process, determine the alcohol, drug levels of drivers; besides identifying direct causes, clarify the responsibilities of related organizations and individuals in state management and law enforcement in the traffic accident to serve prevention and accurate, objective handling of traffic accidents according to the law; handle facilities and individuals involved in modifying, altering automobile and motorcycle specifications. Cooperate with prosecutorial and judicial agencies at all levels to publicly, mobilely try some significant traffic safety violation cases to educate, warn, and prevent.
- Investigate and strictly handle legal violations related to traffic and transport activities, such as producing, purchasing, and using fake vehicle and driver documents; violations in the construction, repair, maintenance of traffic infrastructure; altering technical parameters for inspection of non-standard transport vehicles; negative behaviors and legal breaches in state management and law enforcement on ensuring traffic order and safety.
- Enhance propaganda and dissemination of traffic law:
(i) Cooperate with Vietnam Television to launch traffic safety programs on VTV channels, prioritizing broadcasting during “prime hours” and family time to reach all population groups;
(ii) Cooperate with Voice of Vietnam, especially VOV Traffic, to enhance propaganda, warning, and prevention of traffic accidents on mountainous roads and during unsafe weather conditions like rain, slippery roads, and fog;
(iii) Cooperate with the Education sector to boost education, dissemination of traffic laws, and training in safe traffic participation skills for students; have schools, parents, and students sign commitments to obey traffic laws; develop and expand traffic safety models in school areas;
(iv) Thorough surveying, propaganda, and mobilization of transport businesses to sign commitments to obey traffic laws and proactively require drivers to commit to obeying traffic laws. Cooperate with local labor-using enterprises to propagate, mobilize business owners and workers to commit to obeying traffic laws.
- Promoting administrative reform, effectively deploying online public services in ensuring traffic order and safety. Enhance inspection, supervision, prevention, and correction of violations and deploy proper methods, attitudes, and conduct of officers in ensuring traffic order and safety, creating a clear change in the image of traffic police officers being brave, humane, friendly, and serving the people.
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