Since Decree 168 took effect, the fines have increased many times compared to before, typically for running red lights, driving on the sidewalk... Therefore, many opinions say that drivers do not dare to give way to ambulances or priority vehicles at intersections that are too crowded because they may be violated and fined.
Sharing about this issue, Mr. Hoang Minh (Cau Giay, Hanoi) said that every time a car runs a red light, it will be fined from 18-20 million VND, so if it has to choose between not giving way to a priority car or being fined, many people will certainly not dare to give up.
"Currently, almost all intersections in Vietnam are equipped with surveillance cameras to handle cases of fines. Moreover, the fine for acts such as running red lights increases, making it understandable for drivers not to dare to give priority vehicles a road" - Mr. Minh shared.
Having experienced a similar situation, Mr. Nguyen Huy Hoang (Cau Giay, Hanoi) shared: "At around 8:00 a.m. on February 12, while I was traveling to work, a fire broke out at the CTM Complex building at 139 Cau Giay (Cau Giay, Hanoi). At that time, the entire area of Cau Giay Street towards Kim Ma was congested due to the increase in vehicles.
According to observations, about 3 fire trucks immediately moved to the scene, however, due to the large number of vehicles and most people not daring to run red lights, it took the ambulances a long time to reach the fire area. Fortunately, there were no human casualties, otherwise, just because of this incident could have caused serious impacts".
Previously, on February 10, a video clip was also released on social media in Nghe An recording a scene of an ambulance giving a priority whistle to ask to pass, but the Fortuner driver stopped at a red light in front and still did not run a red light to give way. It was only when the traffic light turned green that the Fortuner driver started moving, despite the ambulance continuously honking for a way behind.
Sharing about this issue, Lawyer Luong Huy Ha - Director of Lawkey Law Firm said that according to the provisions of Article 11 of the Law on Handling of Administrative Violations, it is clearly stipulated that "no violation will be punished in urgent situations". Along with that, Clause 5, Article 27 of the Law on Traffic Order and Safety requires that when there is a priority vehicle signal, vehicles participating in road traffic must reduce speed, go close to the right side of the road or stop to give way.
Therefore, failure to comply with traffic light signals such as running red lights and yellow lights to give way to ambulances, fire trucks, and priority vehicles in case of "urgent emergency" will not be subject to administrative sanctions.
The director of Lawkey Law Firm also said that in cases of giving way to priority vehicles, when making a fine record, the force in charge of traffic lights will coordinate with the traffic police at the checkpoint, extract camera footage, images of the driver's violation, and show the live progress of the violation and the traffic light signal at that time.
Regarding the fine, the traffic police will let violators review the clip of the entire process of the violation of running a red light before making a record, ensuring that people avoid being wrongly punished in situations of giving way to priority vehicles in "urgent situations".
Lawyer Luong Huy Ha added that according to the provisions of Point b, Clause 6, Article 6 of Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, a car driver who does not give way or obstruct a priority vehicle while giving priority signals to go on duty will be fined from 6-8 million VND. In addition, car drivers who do not give way to priority vehicles will not only be fined but also have their driving license deducted 4 points according to Point b, Clause 16, Article 6 of Decree 168/2024/ND-CP.
Therefore, to avoid losing unfair money, people should proactively give way to priority vehicles that are giving priority signals to go on duty. At the same time, it is advisable to film or take photos of the traffic situation in case of giving up the road as evidence to provide to the authorities, supporting the handling of violations to avoid being wrongly punished.
