On August 11, 2024, on the Noi Bai - Lao Cai highway, two people (one male, one female) were walking across the street, in the middle of a stream of vehicles moving at high speed. A car driver then had to swerve to the side of the road to avoid colliding with the two people above. Or on October 21, 2024, a male student suddenly ran across the street near the entrance to the elevated Ring Road 2 (Hanoi). In that situation, a car driver had to swerve and hit the median strip, almost flipping the car over.
These are situations where car drivers were able to handle the situation in time, avoiding serious collisions. There are many other cases that are not as lucky. "Cars running on the highway usually maintain a speed of 80-100km/h. Many times, when they see pedestrians crossing the road, drivers have to brake suddenly or turn the wheel. Some people handle the situation in time, but others are surprised and do not have time to react, leading to accidents" - Mr. Dinh Manh, a bus driver on the Hai Phong - Sa Pa route shared.
Article 30 of the 2024 Law on Road Traffic Safety and Order stipulates that pedestrians must walk on sidewalks, curbs, and roads reserved for pedestrians; in cases where there are no sidewalks, curbs, or roads reserved for pedestrians, pedestrians must walk close to the right edge of the road in the direction of travel. At the same time, pedestrians may only cross the road in places with traffic lights, road markings, or overpasses or tunnels, and must comply with traffic signals and signs. In cases where there are no traffic lights, road markings, overpasses, or tunnels reserved for pedestrians, pedestrians must observe oncoming vehicles, only cross the road when it is safe, and must use hand signals when crossing the road...
The law clearly states that, but many people still ignore it. For example, Ms. Ha Long (born in 2002, in Cau Giay district, Hanoi) expressed surprise because she did not think that walking would also be punished for a violation.
The above situation was recorded during a recent working session of the Traffic Police Team No. 6 (Traffic Police Department, Hanoi City Police) on Xuan Thuy Street (Cau Giay District). Accordingly, the Working Group discovered Ms. Long and several others crossing the street at the wrong place (only a few dozen meters from the pedestrian overpass - PV). When reporting to the authorities, most of the violations gave the reason as "in a hurry, convenient".
Decree 168/2024/ND-CP regulating administrative sanctions in the field of road traffic has increased the fine for pedestrians violating traffic laws, effective from January 1, 2025.
Accordingly, Article 10 of Decree 168 stipulates a fine of VND 150,000 - VND 250,000 (old level was VND 60,000 - VND 100,000) for pedestrians who do not walk on the right side of the road, cross the road in the wrong place, do not comply with traffic lights, road markings... Fine of VND 400,000 - VND 600,000 (old level was VND 100,000 - VND 200,000) for pedestrians entering the highway (except for highway managers and maintenance people); carrying bulky objects that obstruct traffic...
Thus, compared to Decree 100/2019, the fine for pedestrians violating traffic laws has increased. However, according to some people, to ensure deterrence, it is necessary to deal with it decisively, even increasing the fine. According to a representative of the Traffic Police Department (Ministry of Public Security), the increase in sanctions aims to ensure the strictness of the law, increase deterrence, and raise awareness of traffic participants.
