Controlling access to alcohol to prevent accidents by drunken drivers

Traffic police conduct alcohol breath testing (Photo: Vietnam+)

Hanoi (VNA) - Stressing the need of popularization and increase of sanctions for alcoholism violations are only top-notch solutions, representatives of the authorized bodies said that the State needs tools to control access to alcohol. This is the radical and comprehensive solution to minimize the "drunken drivers" that cause traffic accidents.

Drivers causing accident report late

At a tele-meeting themed "Drinking-No driving" organized by the ‘An ninh Thu do’ newspaper on the afternoon of May 13, Tran Huu Minh, Deputy Chief of Office of the National Traffic Safety Committee said, the rate of drivers being fined for violating alcohol concentration in the total number of cases of traffic violation accounted for about 2-3%.

Statistics show that, currently, violations of regulations on alcohol concentration when driving are the leading cause of traffic accidents in Vietnam. In addition, the number of people fined is quite modest compared to the proportion of people hospitalized for traffic accidents related to alcohol concentration on weekdays, about 36%, during the peak holidays, 60%.

Emphasizing that popularisation and sanctions must always go together, Minh said that the form of inspection according to the plan of the authorities may be fixed or mobile but the most important is still must ensure the extraordinary, random as well as regularity and continuity.

Added to this, Captain Dao Viet Long, Deputy Head of Traffic Police Department, said that the Department has arranged 32 teams to patrol and control the handling of violations of vehicle drivers who are tested positive with narcotics and violating alcohol concentration. The Task Force can check any vehicle on the route within 24 hours.

 “For violations related to the use of alcohol and drugs, the Traffic Police force has always actively suppressed and strictly handled according to the provisions of law. The Public Security agency recommends that all people travel on the road and being stopped for inspection should strictly obey and cooperate so that the competent authorities can complete the task," said Captain Long.

Regarding the regulation that the driver causing the accident can leave the scene, according to Minh, in principle, the people involved in the accident must be present at the scene for fastest cooperation with the authorities to solve traffic accident.

However, Long also made the point that, in the Road Traffic Law, there is a provision to allow related people to leave the scene but must report to competent agency in the shortest time and this is a big shortcoming that needs to be amended in the near future.

Further explaining, people who cause accidents are afraid of being assaulted or threatened by other people and the elements that constitute crime may change, especially in the case of a violation of alcohol concentration. After a period of time of causing accidents, the level of alcohol concentration will vary greatly, even no more.

Therefore, he said, the authorities should add regulations to prohibit causing pressure on, assaulting people causing the accidents to ensure their presence at the scene and fully cooperate with the authorities which is important and necessary.

Controlling access to alcohol – key factor

While stressing the increase of sanctions with violations of alcohol concentration among drivers, business owners are very necessary, according to Minh, when driver of a transportation business violates seriously, of course businesses and vehicle owners must also be jointly responsible for neglecting traffic safety management procedures.

“For violations of the regulations on alcohol concentration, if the violations are particularly serious, they will be handled not only administratively but also criminal handling. With lower levels of violations, in addition to administrative handling, competent forces can fully consider additional penalties, including recidivism; either education (public labor or re-taking the driver's license exam; raising the level of civil liability insurance). All these options are being transferred to the authorities for further research,” Mr. Minh said.

In addition, the state management agency needs a data system to manage violations and progressive penalties for violations. If this is done, it is certain that the perception and behavior of the businesses as well as the drivers will change radically.

Acknowledging that population and sanctions for violations of regulations on alcohol concentration when driving are only top-notch solutions, Minh said that the State needs to implement fundamental and comprehensive solutions to control the harmful effects of alcohol in society (including controlling the availability, the accessibility of each population group ...). These are the basic contents in the Law on Prevention of Alcohol Harms which is about to be submitted to the National Assembly./.