Although functional forces regularly deploy to handle hundreds of cases each month, the situation of three-wheeled vehicles and self-made vehicles carrying bulky goods still appears circulating on some streets in Hanoi, posing a risk of traffic unsafety and directly threatening the lives of road users.
Most of these vehicles have "3 no's" including not being registered, not being inspected, and not ensuring technical safety conditions.
According to reporters of Lao Dong Newspaper, at noon (when functional forces take breaks between shifts), many three-wheeled vehicles and homemade vehicles began to appear on the roads.
On Phan Trong Tue street, many vehicles carrying long corrugated iron sheets, iron frames, building materials and bulky goods circulate in the middle of a crowded traffic flow. Many vehicles are loaded with goods exceeding regulations, obscuring visibility and posing a risk of accidents if emergency braking or loss of control occurs.
Representatives of Traffic Police Team No. 14 (Hanoi Police Department of Traffic Police) said that the unit regularly coordinates with Dai Thanh Commune Police to organize patrols, inspections, and strictly handle cases of using three-wheeled vehicles and self-made vehicles violating traffic safety regulations.
In the process of performing their duties, many drivers cite livelihood reasons to ask to be let off violations. Typically, the case of Mr. N.N.C., driving a three-wheeled vehicle carrying thuê corrugated iron sheets, presented his difficult circumstances and hoped that the functional forces would create conditions.
However, the traffic police force said that, despite sharing the circumstances of workers, law compliance and ensuring traffic safety must still be put first. Officers on duty both propagate and explain, and resolutely handle violations to prevent accidents.
Reality shows that thoroughly handling three-wheeled vehicles and self-made vehicles is not an easy problem because it is necessary to harmonize the requirements of ensuring traffic safety and livelihoods of a part of the population. Most of these vehicles are converted from old motorbikes, arbitrarily converted to pull cargo boxes behind, not ensuring technical standards when circulating.
Captain Nguyen Tung Lam (officer of Dai Thanh Commune Police) said that the unit regularly coordinates with Hanoi Traffic Police to organize patrols, inspections, and handle acts of using three-wheeled vehicles, tractor-trailers and self-made vehicles that violate regulations on traffic order and safety in the area.
According to Captain Lam, strengthening inspection and handling aims to contribute to reducing accidents, limiting congestion and raising the awareness of law compliance of traffic participants.
Not only in the inner city area, the situation of illegal self-made vehicles also occurs in suburban areas such as Quoc Oai, Thach That... where many craft villages and construction sites are concentrated, leading to the need for small-scale goods transportation.
Major Dang Dinh Hoang, an officer of the Traffic Police Department of Hanoi Police, said that the characteristic of these vehicles is carrying heavy and bulky goods. When violations are detected, functional forces must request to unload and transfer goods immediately on the spot to stop the violation, causing the processing process to take a lot of time and manpower. Most drivers are freelancers, often presenting difficult circumstances to ask for leniency. However, it is not possible to use livelihood as a reason to trade off the safety of others.
According to statistics from the Traffic Police Department of Hanoi Police, each month the unit handles hundreds of cases related to three-wheeled vehicles, homemade vehicles and acts of carrying bulky goods. However, after each peak period, this situation shows signs of recurrence.
According to Dr. Khuong Kim Tao - a traffic expert, handling cannot only stop at patrols and fines on the road, but needs synchronous solutions and strong enough sanctions.
It is necessary to stipulate stricter regulations for this type of vehicle such as increasing penalties, confiscating vehicles, and applying strong measures to thoroughly handle the situation that has existed for many years," Dr. Khuong Kim Tao proposed.
The complete elimination of three-wheeled vehicles and self-made vehicles will be difficult to implement in a short time due to the livelihoods of many poor workers. However, ensuring the safety of people's lives and maintaining urban order must be a top priority.
To thoroughly handle this situation, in addition to the determination of the police force, there needs to be synchronous involvement of local authorities in supporting career change, creating sustainable livelihoods for workers, and at the same time raising people's awareness of law compliance.
