At noon on January 8, at the intersection of 30/4 Street and De Tham Street (in Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City), the yellow traffic light flashed continuously for a long time, instead of turning red as usual.
It was observed that many traffic participants, especially car drivers, only knew how to stop and wait without daring to move on, leading to local traffic congestion on the route.
Sharing with Lao Dong, Mr. Tu Van Hai (a driver in Can Tho City) said that normally the traffic light system at this intersection still has green and red lights, but he does not understand why there is only a flashing yellow light now, making him not dare to pass.
“I would rather stop the car and endure traffic jams, because a driver’s salary is only 6-7 million VND/month, while running a yellow light will result in a fine of 18-20 million VND. I can’t afford to pay the fine, and I will also lose points on my driver’s license, so it’s very stressful,” said Mr. Hai.
Similarly, Mr. Huynh Tan (a driver in Can Tho City) shared that he is very scared since the new traffic violation fines were introduced, plus the installation of cameras to fine people on the roads. If he runs a yellow light now, he will be fined, and knowing that he cannot afford to pay the fine, he has to stop the car according to regulations.
Some other drivers said that with the current fines, traffic participants are very worried and pressured. Even though they know that if they drive correctly they will not be fined, they do not know when they have violated traffic laws.
According to local residents, the flashing yellow light lasts for about 30 minutes, creating insecurity for traffic participants, especially when Decree 168/2024/ND-CP on penalties for traffic violations is being strictly enforced.
Mr. Nguyen Phi Thoang (a resident working near this intersection) said that recently there was a car driving by the bank, when the yellow light lasted too long, they had to call the bank staff to come and escort the money back by motorbike instead of daring to run the yellow light.
"Although transporting money by motorbike is very dangerous, they still choose this method because they are too afraid of the fine, and at the same time show strict compliance with road traffic rules," Thoang added.
However, according to Mr. Thoang, in cases of traffic lights like this, the authorities need to go to the scene to regulate traffic, or re-process the traffic light system appropriately, to avoid causing confusion for the people as well as local traffic congestion.
It can be seen that Decree 168/2024/ND-CP has strongly impacted the psychology of traffic participants, making them more aware of their behavior. Complying with traffic lights, especially yellow lights, has become a voluntary action to avoid financial and legal risks.
According to Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, the penalty for running a yellow light will apply from January 1, 2025 for drivers of cars, four-wheeled motorized passenger vehicles, four-wheeled motorized cargo vehicles and similar vehicles, with a fine of 18 - 20 million VND and a deduction of 4 points from the driver's license.
In case of running a yellow light and causing an accident, the fine will be from 20 to 22 million VND and the driver's license will be deducted 10 points.
