Traffic – Urban areas

Why does Hanoi propose to increase fines for traffic violations?

LA (synthesis) January 27, 2025 07:10

According to the Hanoi People's Committee, the increase in fines aims to concretize the Capital Law, aiming to reduce traffic congestion and accidents, and gradually build a traffic culture.

Ùn tắc tại nút giao Dương Đình Nghệ - đường Mễ Trì - Vành đai 3. Ảnh: Thanh Hải
Traffic jam at the intersection of Duong Dinh Nghe - Me Tri road - Ring Road 3. Photo: THANH HAI

The Hanoi People's Committee is seeking comments on a draft resolution stipulating fines for a number of administrative violations in the field of road traffic in the area. There are 107 traffic violations proposed to increase the fines by 1.5 - 2 times compared to Decree 168/2024.

For example, the act of driving a car not on the right side of the road in the direction of travel; driving in the wrong part of the road or lane (lane in the same direction or lane in the opposite direction) is proposed to be fined 8 - 12 million VND, double the current regulation. Or the act of driving a car on the road with a blood or breath alcohol concentration exceeding 80 mg/100 ml of blood or exceeding 0.4 mg/liter of breath is proposed to be fined 45 - 60 million VND, 1.5 times the current regulation.

Explaining the proposal to increase the fine level, in the draft resolution, the Hanoi People's Committee cited the Capital Law passed by the National Assembly in June 2024, effective from January 1, 2025, assigning the City People's Council to prescribe a higher fine level but not more than twice the general fine level prescribed by the Government and not exceeding the maximum fine level according to the law on handling administrative violations in the field of road traffic.

Hanoi is 3,359 km wide.2, population 8.5 million, is the headquarters of central agencies, diplomacy, international organizations, is an important traffic hub with all types of roads, railways, waterways and airways. The above factors create diversity in types and means of transport with high density, continuously leading to traffic complexity, different from other provinces and cities.

"However, the regulations on administrative penalties in road traffic are still similar to those in other localities. Therefore, it is necessary to have regulations and sanctions that are specific and distinct to the capital," the draft resolution stated.

Hanoi People's Committee assessed that the awareness of traffic participants is still limited, the situation of violators continues, repeating some violations such as: not obeying road markings, traffic signs, not wearing helmets, going the wrong way, entering prohibited roads, wrong lanes... The situation of teenagers gathering to ride motorbikes causing public disorder has many complicated developments, affecting the traffic order and safety situation and causing insecurity for people.

Tình trạng xe máy đi vào làn đường ưu tiên của xe buýt nhanh BRT tuyến Kim Mã - Yên Nghĩa khá phổ phiến. Ảnh: Võ Hải
The situation of motorbikes entering the priority lane of the BRT bus route Kim Ma - Yen Nghia is quite common. Photo: VO HAI

The city’s infrastructure and public transport have not met demand. Responding to the press earlier, Director of the Department of Transport Nguyen Phi Thuong said that one of the causes of traffic congestion in the area today is that infrastructure investment has not kept up with the increasing speed of personal vehicles.

Mr. Thuong cited the city's planning of 7 belt roads, but none of them have been completed. Belt Road 2 still has the Nga Tu So - Cau Giay section, which has not been widened with a low-lying road or built an elevated road. Belt Road 2.5 has 7 sections and only a few sections have been opened. Belt Road 3 still has the part in Dong Anh district that has not been invested in. Belt Road 3.5 is also in a "poor" situation, with the bridges on the route, Thuong Cat and Ngoc Hoi, not yet invested in. Belt Road 4 is under construction. "Currently, Belt Road 3 is overloaded 6 times more than the designed traffic volume, even during non-rush hours, it is still congested," Mr. Thuong said.

Meanwhile, the growth rate of personal vehicles in Hanoi is 4-5%/year, with cars alone increasing by 10%, increasing by 250,000 - 300,000 each year. The city currently has more than 9.2 million vehicles, of which motorbikes account for over 86% (not including vehicles of central agencies). Of these, there are 1.1 million cars, 6.9 million motorbikes and about 1.2 million vehicles from other provinces and cities circulating in the area.

"If the number of vehicles increases at the current rate, the infrastructure supply needs to increase by about 12%, while in reality it only increases by 0.3%, leading to infrastructure struggling to catch up and never catching up," said Mr. Thuong.

The above limitations lead to increased traffic congestion and accidents. According to Mr. Thuong, in 2024, the Department of Transport coordinated with relevant units to handle 13/33 traffic congestion points, but in 2024, 16 new points arose, bringing the current number of points to 36. In addition, after reviewing, the city still has more than 230 points at risk of traffic congestion, requiring a solution.

Thống kê số điểm ùn tắc giao thông từ năm 2017 đến 2024. Nguồn: Sở Giao thông Vận tải Hà Nội
Statistics of traffic congestion points from 2017 to 2024. Source:Hanoi Department of Transport

City statistics show that traffic accidents in the area are always high, with nearly 1,250 accidents causing 710 deaths in 2023 and 1,500 accidents causing 700 deaths in 2024. The rate of accidents involving motorbikes accounts for about 62%, with common errors including not paying attention (21%), driving on the wrong side of the road (nearly 7.5%), and unsafe turns (2.6%).

On December 26, 2024, the Government issued Decree 168/2024 regulating administrative sanctions for violations of traffic safety and order in the field of road traffic; deduction of points and restoration of driving license points, in which the penalties for some violations have been increased.

Through practical assessment and the situation of traffic safety violations in the area, the Hanoi People's Committee believes that it is necessary to continue to increase the severity of some violations to raise awareness of traffic participants, gradually forming a traffic culture, controlling and reducing congestion and accidents.

LA (synthesis)
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Why does Hanoi propose to increase fines for traffic violations?