On the morning of November 10, the National Assembly discussed in groups the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety. In which, it is strictly prohibited for drivers to participate in traffic while having alcohol in their blood or breath.
National Assembly member Pham Nhu Hiep (Thua Thien Hue ) said that if such a regulation is made, all rudimentary vehicles, cyclos, and rickshaws could also violate the law. He suggested that a feasible law should be drafted, otherwise the implementation of the law would be quite complicated.
In fact, people who drink alcohol the night before and go to work the next morning still have alcohol in their blood. If they are fined, it is very worrying. He suggested that there should be a form of regulation to determine the threshold of alcohol concentration at which they will be fined.
In Hung Yen , Deputy Nguyen Dai Thang also shared that the regulation prohibiting driving with alcohol in the blood or breath is necessary to reduce traffic accidents. He suggested studying the alcohol concentration level suitable for each type of vehicle to ensure feasibility.
Delegate Nguyen Quang Huan (Binh Duong) said that it is necessary to refer to the regulations of other countries. In Finland, drivers are advised to rest for one hour before participating in traffic if they drink one bottle of beer, and three hours after drinking two bottles. After that time, the amount of stimulant is not enough to affect the nervous system and they are still qualified to drive.
From an economic perspective, Mr. Huan believes that overly strict regulations on penalties for alcohol violations will affect the alcohol industry. “Although the alcohol industry is not encouraged, it is also a source of income for informal workers. Now that the ban is too strict, it will also have a great impact,” Mr. Huan analyzed.
He expressed his sympathy for many people's concerns, saying "we are more wary of alcohol than of drugs." This is a stretch.
Delegate Pham Duc An (Hanoi) proposed to study a certain ratio to limit the allowable alcohol concentration in breath and blood, not necessarily punishing anyone with an alcohol concentration.
"The laws of countries around the world basically have certain ratios, we should also study them," Mr. An added.
Delegate Pham Khanh Phong Lan (HCMC) proposed to clearly define "having alcohol concentration" or "having alcohol concentration exceeding the permitted level".
She stated: “It is necessary to redesign the regulations in a way that we can choose a low alcohol concentration level so that the regulation cannot exceed it. Otherwise, sometimes without drinking anything, blowing will still increase the alcohol concentration. This regulation needs to be reasonable, with a specific roadmap for people to gradually limit and eventually not use alcohol before driving.”
Also discussing this issue, delegate Vu Xuan Hung (Thanh Hoa) agreed with the regulation that absolutely prohibits drivers from participating in traffic with alcohol in their blood or breath.
According to the delegate, through a survey of 177 countries in the world on regulations to prevent the harmful effects of alcohol, 25 countries have regulations on blood or breath alcohol concentration of 0. The remaining countries have different regulations on prohibited behaviors with different blood and breath alcohol concentration ratios.
According to Mr. Hung, through the process of reviewing the draft law, there are still many different opinions on the regulations on prohibited behaviors for drivers participating in traffic.
Regarding the first opinion, this delegate said that the draft law stipulates that Decree 100 requires a blood alcohol concentration of 0. This is aimed at reducing traffic accidents. This regulation is agreed upon by the majority of opinions.
Regarding the second opinion, delegate Vu Xuan Hung said, many opinions suggest that prohibited acts for drivers participating in traffic according to the 2008 Road Traffic Law should be regulated according to the alcohol concentration ratio in blood or breath.
Previously, when examining this content, the National Defense and Security Committee said that some opinions suggested considering a regulation that absolutely prohibits people from "driving vehicles while having alcohol in their blood or breath", because they believe that this regulation is too strict and not really suitable for the culture, customs and practices of a part of the Vietnamese people.
This group of opinions also believes that the above regulation affects the socio-economic development of many localities.
Meanwhile, some other opinions agree with this regulation, because they believe that this content has been stipulated in Clause 6, Article 5 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Alcohol and Beer and practical implementation has proven its effectiveness.
The National Defense and Security Committee proposes to study the above opinions to absorb them appropriately; continue to review and arrange the prohibitions related to road traffic order and safety to ensure consistency and logic, avoid duplication with other provisions in the draft Law or duplication with provisions of other specialized laws.
Proposal to consider regulation 'absolutely banning alcohol concentration' for drivers
Regarding the regulation prohibiting drivers from participating in traffic with alcohol concentration, the National Defense and Security Committee said that there were some opinions suggesting to consider it because it was too strict and not suitable to culture and customs.
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