VietNamNet Bridge - As part of the national traffic safety month, traffic police in Hanoi are testing drivers for alcohol levels on the spot.
Lieutenant colonel Ha Van Tuan, from the Hanoi Traffic Police Bureau, said that checkpoints were set up near beer eateries to check drivers for their alcohol content in their breath, by asking them to blow in a disposable breathalyzer pipe connected to a gauge.

Tuan said after the first four days, his check-point alone punished 20 drivers who violated the rules on alcohol content.

According to the current rules, drivers who have alcohol levels above 0.25 mg will be fined from VND200,000 ($9) to VND6 million ($290) and their driving licenses may be revoked.

Specifically, drunk motorbike drivers face a fine of VND200,000-300,000 (US$9.6-14.4) for their alcohol levels of 0.25-0.4 mg per liter of breath and will have their driver’s licenses held by police for 30 days.

For higher alcohol contents, the highest fine is VND500,000-VND1 million ($24-48) and the violators will have their licenses held for 60 days.

Heavier fines are applied for drunk car drivers, with the two respective penalty rates being VND2-3 million ($96-144) and VND4-6 million ($192-288). The respective durations for driver’s licenses to be held are the same as those for drunken motorbike drivers.

The fines double in the two largest cities in Vietnam, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Lieutenant colonel Tuan said that some drunken drivers intentionally did not blow enough (one liter of air) in the disposable breathalyzer pipes, resulted in wrong measurement results.

“This is a big problem. In other countries, police use hats which cover the entire head of violators and the alcohol content is measured through their breath. Violators cannot hold their breath,” Lieutenant colonel Tuan said.

The police officer said that disposable breathalyzer pipes are one-time use, so people do not have to worry about hygiene.

VNE