This number, although only a small part of the total of 2,356 violations, is a warning bell about the trend of young people in alcohol consumption and driving - violations of the law and directly threatening the safety of children and the community.
It is noteworthy that there are many cases of students driving motorbikes while intoxicated, while the law clearly stipulates the age and conditions for driving. In adolescence, the nervous system, judgment and situation handling skills are not yet perfect. Just a small amount of alcohol can make children lose control, lose focus and easily make reckless decisions. When combined with driving a vehicle - which already has many potential risks - the risk of traffic accidents increases many times.
The ease with which minors can access alcohol reflects major loopholes in management. Although the law prohibits the sale and supply of alcoholic beverages to people under 18 years old, reality shows that children can still buy or be served at many shops and grocery stores. Many families also accidentally create conditions by allowing their children to " try drinking" during parties, thereby forming the habit of using alcohol early. Subjective psychology, lack of understanding of the harmful effects of alcohol and legal consequences makes this situation more common.
The consequences of children's alcohol use while driving do not stop at the risk of accidents. In the long run, this behavior can form bad habits, making it easier for children to continue to abuse alcoholic beverages in communication and daily activities when they are older. For society, the public appearance of minors drinking alcohol can create a chain effect, causing violations to be "normalised", leading to unpredictable consequences.
Alcohol-related traffic accidents are already one of the leading causes of death and injury in Vietnam. When the violator is a child, the level of compassion and the burden of consequences will be greater. Just one accident can cause a family to lose children, or make them live with disabilities for the rest of their lives. Other families may have to bear huge costs for treatment or compensation, while society has to bear medical costs, rescue and many other negative impacts.
To completely solve the problem of minors drinking alcohol and driving, the efforts of the authorities are not enough. Families need to tighten management, supervision and education of children about the harmful effects of alcohol. The school needs to increase extracurricular activities and topics on traffic safety, helping students clearly understand the consequences of each behavior. Society also needs to raise the responsibility of alcohol businesses and strictly punish cases of selling to minors.
