At a briefing on Oct. 1 reviewing police operations in the third quarter of 2026, Col. Pham Viet Cong, Deputy Director of the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security, said the agency was working with the Vietnam Roads Administration on a pilot scheme to designate the lane closest to the median as an overtaking lane on selected expressway sections.

Cong said many vehicles currently travel slowly while remaining in the leftmost lane, or lane 1, next to the median, on expressways across the country.

This directly affects vehicles traveling behind them. In particular, vehicles lingering in the left lane can lead to sudden reductions in speed, creating traffic conflicts on expressways.

To address the problem, the Traffic Police Department has conducted on-site surveys and worked with the Vietnam Roads Administration under the Ministry of Construction to study the introduction of dedicated overtaking lanes.

The pilot is expected to be implemented on sections of the Hanoi - Hai Phong and Phap Van - Cao Bo expressways, which authorities have determined meet the conditions required for the trial.

The Traffic Police Department will continue coordinating with the roads administration to complete the necessary road signs and lane markings, with implementation expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.

In recent months, the department has directly assigned officers to drive on expressways and record their journeys to demonstrate safe overtaking techniques to motorists.

To address vehicles traveling slowly and occupying the left lane, the Traffic Police Department has instructed its units to step up patrols and enforcement while using surveillance camera data and images submitted by members of the public to identify violations.

Vietnam's Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety stipulates that slower-moving vehicles must use the right lane and that motorists must not change lanes continuously in ways that affect other vehicles.

The Traffic Police Department recently penalized two motorists for driving slowly and deliberately remaining in the left lane on the Hanoi - Lao Cai and Hanoi - Hai Phong expressways.

The department said it would continue working with relevant agencies to strengthen public awareness of regulations prohibiting drivers from unnecessarily occupying the left lane on expressways.

Measures will include reviewing and adjusting necessary traffic signals and displaying warnings on electronic message boards along expressways.

The aim is to ensure drivers understand that they must use the appropriate lane, comply with speed requirements and use lane 1 only for overtaking when it is safe to do so.

After completing an overtaking maneuver, drivers should proactively return to the right lane when safe, allowing vehicles behind them to continue traveling smoothly.

The proposed pilot is based on surveys of actual traffic conditions. The Traffic Police Department said it hoped to gain public support so the model could eventually be expanded to other expressways, reducing traffic conflicts and improving traffic flow.

Dinh Hieu