Correct understanding of the error of parking a car in the wrong direction and the penalty level

Although parking in the wrong direction is dangerous, causes frustration for people around and can result in heavy fines, many drivers do not understand what "parking in the wrong direction" is, leading to incorrect actions.

Two ways to understand the error of "parking in the wrong direction"

Clause 3, Article 18 of the 2008 Road Traffic Law clearly stipulates: "When stopping or parking a vehicle on the road, the driver must comply with the following regulations: Stop or park the vehicle at a place with a wide roadside or on land outside the roadway; in case the roadside is narrow or there is no roadside, the vehicle must stop or park close to the edge of the road.right side in the direction of travel".

Clause 4, Article 18 of the 2008 Road Traffic Law also stipulates: "Vehicle drivers are not allowed to stop or park vehicles in the following locations:Left side of one way street; on curves and near the top of slopes where visibility is obstructed; on bridges, under overpasses; parallel to another stopped or parked vehicle;...".

Thus, the act of "parking in the wrong direction" is not only parking in the wrong direction, against the direction of travel, but also parking on the left side of a one-way street (close to the fixed median strip between the two lanes).

What is the fine for parking in the wrong direction?

According to Clause 2, Article 5, Decree 100/2019/ND-CP (amended and supplemented by Decree 123/2021/ND-CP), with the act of"Stopping or parking a vehicle not close to the right edge of the road in the direction of travel in a place with a narrow or no sidewalk; stopping or parking a vehicle in the opposite direction of traffic; stopping or parking a vehicle on a fixed median strip between two lanes of traffic;...", the driver was fined from 400-600 thousand dong.

According to Clause 11, Article 5, Decree 100/2019/ND-CP, in case of stopping and parking against traffic as stated in Clause 2, Article 5 above, if an accident occurs, the driver will also have his/her driving license revoked for 2-4 months.

According to traffic experts, parking in the opposite direction in both of the above cases is very dangerous, because before arriving at and after moving away from such a parking position, these cars must definitely move to the left side of the road, against the direction of traffic and risk colliding with other vehicles.

In the case of vehicles stopping on the left side of the road, close to the median strip, in addition to occupying the roadway, it can also lead to serious traffic accidents because that is usually the lane with the highest speed and is often used by vehicles to overtake each other.

Experts say that the main reason for stopping and parking cars in the wrong direction comes from the driver's arbitrary habit. In case of needing to stop and park, you should go a little further, then turn around and park the car in a suitable position, on the right side of the direction you are going.

With the fine for parking in the wrong direction from 400,000 to 600,000 VND as above, many traffic experts believe that it is still too light and not enough of a deterrent when comparing this dangerous behavior with other similar behaviors. For example, parking not close to the edge of the road, parking on the sidewalk, etc. is currently fined from 800,000 to 1 million VND; while driving in the wrong direction will be fined from 4-6 million VND, and the driver's license will be revoked for 2-4 months.

"In my opinion, the penalty level needs to be adjusted to be more severe to minimize this dangerous behavior, at least higher than illegal parking. I suggest the fine should be from 2-3 million VND to be a sufficient deterrent," an expert expressed his opinion.