At around 8pm on July 16, residents on Nguyen Trac Street (Duong Noi, Hanoi) were shocked to witness a serious accident when a Honda BR-V sped out of control, hitting motorbikes and cars. The incident left one man dead at the scene and several others, including children, seriously injured.

The breathalyzer test revealed that the driver, Le Minh G. (born 1984, Hanoi), had an alcohol concentration of 0.861 mg/L of breath, exceeding the maximum legal limit by over 2.2 times under Decree 168/2024. The police are investigating the cause of the accident.

Are stiff fines enough?

Under regulations effective since early 2020, car drivers violating the highest alcohol concentration limit face fines up to VND40 million and a 24-month license suspension. For motorbike drivers, fines reach up to VND10 million with a 24-month license suspension. Violators may even face criminal charges if they cause serious accidents.

This fine level is considered high compared to other traffic violations and Vietnam’s average income. Yet, according to the Traffic Police Department, there are still tens of thousands of alcohol-related violations detected and handled annually.

After every serious accident caused by drunk drivers, the public questions whether these penalties are enough to deter drunk drivers. Many drivers, overly confident in their driving ability or believing they can evade authorities, do not hesitate to drive after consuming significant amounts of alcohol. 

Some are even familiar with patrol schedules, dodging less-monitored routes to “avoid checkpoints.” When low awareness meets opportunities to skirt the law, accidents are inevitable.

The camera system on the roads, though promising, cannot cover all areas. More critically, cameras only record consequences for penalties, and do not prevent violations from the outset. A driver under the influence, operating a vehicle uncontrollably, becomes a “moving bomb” in crowded streets, beyond the reach of any device to intervene in time.

Cameras not enough, police needed

Regarding the tragic incident on the evening of July 16, witnesses reported that about 20 minutes before the accident, the white Honda BR-V driver had been driving against traffic on To Huu Street for a long stretch, narrowly avoiding collisions with multiple vehicles before continuing toward the former Ha Dong district. Clearly, the driver had lost control well before the fatal crash.

A question arises: if traffic police had been stationed along that stretch, could the driver have passed through? Had the driver been stopped and penalized by traffic police on the evening of July 16 for the initial violation, the tragic outcome might have been avoided.

Traffic police several days ago announced a plan to reduce the presence of traffic policemen on the roads and replace policemen with monitoring cameras, which detect traffic violations for punishment.

Experts believe that intensifying technology use and deploying traffic monitoring systems is the right decision, but the complex and spontaneous nature of violations still necessitates direct patrols and control by traffic police on the roads.

The unexpected, flexible presence of traffic police serves as a “living deterrent,” enough to make many drivers cautious. Prevention must come first, through both tangible enforcement and the psychological impact of random checks. 

Waiting for accidents to occur before acting is not enough. This is where even the most advanced technology cannot yet replace human intervention.

Traffic culture will only change when individuals realize that driving after drinking is not just a legal violation but can also take innocent lives. The “crazy car” on July 16 not only crashed into cars and motorbikes but also eroded society’s patience.

It’s time to stop being lenient with drunk drivers who disregard the law and community safety, many say. Previously, strict traffic police checks significantly reduced drunk driving, but during the recent transition and restructuring of operations, the reduced presence of traffic police on roads has led to more tragic incidents. 

VietNamNet readers have expressed serious concern about the reduced presence of policemen on the roads, especially after this serious car accident occurred.

Xuantrungnqq, a reader, believes that local police, commune forces, and civil defense units should join in conducting alcohol tests near restaurants and eateries. He said he hopes traffic police remain on the roads because AI cameras cannot detect a driver’s alcohol level. Innocent road users suffer life-threatening consequences that no compensation can cover.

Vu Diep