Obey traffic laws to 'go to work, go to school in the morning and come home at night'

Notably, Resolution 32, Decree 100 and now Decree 168 have been implemented, greatly affecting the awareness of traffic participants in a more civilized and orderly direction.

18 years ago, Resolution No. 32/2007/ND-CP dated June 29, 2007 of the Government on a number of urgent solutions to curb traffic accidents and traffic congestion was issued. It included a regulation that fundamentally changed people's habits when riding motorbikes and mopeds in traffic: wearing a helmet was mandatory. Since September 15, 2007, people across the country have implemented this regulation, but it has only been applied on national highways.

At that time, there were also many opinions, including concerns and even opposition. Many reasons were given such as wearing helmets causing inconvenience and entanglement. There were even opinions that motorcyclists and motorbike riders were responsible for their own safety and "didn't need" the State to worry. Then there were arguments about whether children needed to wear helmets or not...

To put this regulation into practice, many agencies and units have launched a helmet wearing movement, requiring cadres, civil servants, public employees, and workers to wear helmets and encouraging their relatives to do so. By December 15, 2007, people riding motorbikes and mopeds were required to wear helmets on all roads.

After 18 years, wearing a helmet has truly become a habit for everyone, helping to effectively prevent traumatic brain injury in traffic accidents. The helmet that was once embroiled in the controversy of "wearing or not wearing" has saved many lives.

On December 30, 2019, the Government issued Decree No. 100/2019/ND-CP regulating administrative sanctions for violations in the field of road and railway traffic. It increases the level of penalties for many acts, especially for violations of alcohol concentration. Accordingly, drivers with alcohol concentration in their blood or breath can be fined from 30 to 40 million VND. Drivers with alcohol concentration will be punished, instead of "having alcohol concentration exceeding 50 mg/100 ml of blood or 0.25 ml/1 liter of breath will be punished" as previously prescribed.

Decree 100 continues to be embroiled in controversy over excessively high penalties, especially for those who consume alcohol the day before or consume very small amounts but are still subject to penalties. Authorities across the country have resolutely dealt with this violation with the view that "there are no forbidden zones, no exceptions". Many officials, civil servants, and even officers and soldiers of the armed forces have been severely punished.

Opinions surrounding the handling of alcohol violations in Decree 100 continued for 5 years, when on June 27, 2024, the National Assembly "finalized" the absolute ban on alcohol concentration for drivers in the law. After 5 years of implementing Decree 100, people's awareness has clearly changed, the number of people who drink and drive has decreased significantly and the handling has also become easier.

Decree 168/2024/ND-CP dated December 26, 2024, issued not long ago, regulates administrative sanctions for violations of road traffic order and safety, with very high penalties for many acts, and is considered a "steel punch" in adjusting the arbitrary traffic participation habits of many people.

Immediately, this decree also faced many public opinions, even being distorted by bad elements under the name of "protecting the poor", or comparing the fines with some countries. However, in reality, after more than 1 month of implementing Decree 168, the traffic image on the roads has changed positively towards a more civilized and orderly direction, as evidenced by the traffic accident data that has decreased sharply in all 3 criteria: number of cases, number of deaths and number of injuries. The number of fines for violations also decreased compared to the previous month, showing that drivers have complied more than before to avoid being punished...

Legal regulations in general and traffic regulations in particular cannot "please" everyone, but these regulations have no other purpose than to protect the people, so that everyone can "go to work, go to school in the morning, and come home in the evening". Although there are many opposing opinions, it is clear that the above regulations have brought practical benefits to people's lives and ensured their safety.