On the evening of December 27th of the lunar calendar, also coinciding with Valentine's Day, Hanoi streets were quieter than usual. Traffic volume decreased sharply, mainly people moved to shop and visit relatives as Tet Nguyen Dan approached.
Implementing the Plan of the Traffic Police Department (CSGT) - Hanoi City Police, on the evening of February 14, early morning of February 15, Road Traffic Police Team No. 7 arranged 2 task forces to control alcohol concentration for vehicle drivers in the area.
At the Nguyen Trai - Khuat Duy Tien intersection, from 7:30 PM, functional forces conducted alcohol concentration checks for both motorbikes, cars and transport business vehicles.
After about an hour of duty, at 8:30 pm, the task force discovered Mr. D. M. T (born 1985, residing in Hung Yen) driving a motorbike with license plate 12L1-062xx violating the alcohol concentration level at 0.030 mg/l. Functional forces made a record of administrative violation and temporarily seized the vehicle according to regulations.
Next, at 8:50 PM, Mr. C.T. T (born 1970, residing in Hanoi) was driving a motorbike with license plate 29M1-346xx participating in traffic with an alcohol concentration in his breath at 0.255 mg/l. Working with the traffic police, this person said that he had drunk beer during a meal at home and then drove to visit relatives.
According to Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, drivers of motorbikes and mopeds who have an alcohol concentration in their breath below 0.25 mg/l will be fined from 2-3 million VND; if they violate at a level from 0.25 mg/l to below 0.4 mg/l, they will be fined from 6-8 million VND. In addition to being fined, violators will also be deducted points from their driver's licenses according to regulations," said Major Do Duc Dung, Team Leader of the working group.
In about two hours of inspection, through hundreds of vehicles, the task force discovered 3 cases of alcohol concentration violations, all of whom were motorbike drivers.
According to the working group, during the process of working with the violators, all 3 cases when discovered were carrying relatives, especially in some cases carrying families including wives and 2 young children.
This is a dangerous violation, potentially risky for many people," Major Do Duc Dung said.
According to statistics from the Hanoi Traffic Police Department, on February 14, the entire city's traffic police force controlled more than 7,000 vehicles, detected and handled 125 cases of alcohol concentration violations.
In the days leading up to Tet, the use of alcohol and beer during family meals is inevitable, but driving after drinking still poses a high risk of traffic accidents.
Hanoi Traffic Police Department recommends that people strictly comply with the message "Alcohol and beer - do not drive", proactively use public transport, taxis or ask relatives who do not drink alcohol to drive vehicles to ensure safety for themselves and the community during the Lunar New Year.
