Proposal to reduce fines for alcohol concentration violations

In order to guide the implementation of the Law on Road Traffic Safety and Order, the Ministry of Public Security is seeking comments on a draft Decree on administrative penalties for violations of road traffic safety and order. The Ministry proposes to reduce the fine for driving with the lowest alcohol concentration to match the nature and severity of the violation.

For cars, the Ministry proposes a fine of 800,000 to 1 million VND for drivers of cars and similar vehicles, four-wheeled motorized passenger vehicles, and four-wheeled motorized cargo vehicles on the road with an alcohol concentration in their blood or breath, but not exceeding 50 mg/100 ml of blood or 0.25 mg/liter of breath.

According to current regulations, with the above alcohol concentration, car drivers will be fined 6-8 million VND.

For motorbikes and mopeds, the draft decree stipulates a fine of 400,000-600,000 VND for drivers of motorbikes, mopeds, and similar motorbikes and similar motorbikes on the road with an alcohol concentration in their blood or breath that does not exceed 50 mg/100 ml of blood or 0.25 mg/liter of breath.

According to current regulations, with the above alcohol concentration, motorcyclists will be fined 2-3 million VND.

For specialized motorbikes, the Ministry of Public Security proposes a fine of 800,000 to 1 million VND for drivers of specialized motorbikes on the road with alcohol concentration in blood or breath not exceeding 50 mg/100 ml of blood or 0.25 mg/liter of breath.

According to current regulations, if violating the alcohol concentration as above, the driver of a specialized motorbike will be fined 3-5 million VND.

The draft decree also adds a provision to deduct driving license points for all alcohol violations. Specifically, drivers with blood or breath alcohol concentrations exceeding 80 mg/100 ml of blood, or exceeding 0.4 mg/liter of breath, may have 12 points deducted.

Driving on the road with a blood or breath alcohol concentration exceeding 50 mg to 80 mg/100 ml of blood or exceeding 0.25 mg to 0.4 mg/liter of breath may result in a deduction of 10 points.

If a driver has a blood or breath alcohol concentration that does not exceed 50 mg/100 ml of blood or 0.25 mg/liter of breath, 2 points may be deducted.

The Ministry of Public Security has not yet provided specific information on the reason for the proposed reduction in fines. At the National Assembly forum at the end of 2023, some members of the National Defense and Security Committee said that an absolute ban on drivers with alcohol levels in their blood or breath is "too strict and inappropriate".

According to Pham Van Hoa, Vice President of the Dong Thap Province Bar Association, if you drink a glass of beer or wine, "your mind is still normal and you can still drive well. If you drink the day before, you will still have alcohol in your blood the next day. In this case, being fined by the traffic police is unreasonable."

Explaining some new contents of the bill, the Ministry of Public Security maintained its viewpoint of regulating the alcohol concentration to be 0 when driving a vehicle to help drivers avoid the situation of being "forced to drink alcohol". When participating in traffic, drivers must maintain alertness and quick reflexes to handle unexpected situations.

On June 27, the Law on Road Traffic Safety was passed by the National Assembly with a provision that absolutely prohibits alcohol concentration when driving.