After 15 days of implementing Decree 168, traffic accidents have decreased significantly

Deep impact on awareness and consciousness of traffic participants

Decree No. 168/2024/ND-CP regulating administrative sanctions for violations in the field of road traffic officially takes effect from January 1, 2025. The Decree increases the level of sanctions for many acts and groups of acts violating traffic rules on the road.

After 15 days of implementation, the Decree has created positive changes in traffic awareness, behavior and traffic safety and order (TSA). The situation of drivers running red lights, going against traffic on one-way streets... has decreased significantly, especially in large cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City...

Captain Trinh Quoc Quan - Officer of Traffic Police Team No. 7 (Traffic Police Department, Hanoi City Police) assessed that traffic participants have raised awareness and voluntarily complied with traffic lights even when there is no traffic police force to check and control. This is most clearly demonstrated since Decree 168 came into effect.

According to statistics from the Traffic Police Department (Ministry of Public Security), from January 1 to 14, 2025, the national traffic police force detected and handled 174,653 cases of traffic safety violations; revoked the right to use driving licenses and professional certificates in 17,595 cases; temporarily detained 955 cars, 49,649 motorbikes; and deducted points from driving licenses in 12,691 cases. Compared to the previous period, the number of fines decreased by 22,786 cases (-11.54%).

The traffic accident situation has changed significantly with all three criteria decreasing compared to the same period and the previous period.

Statistics (from January 1 to 14, 2025), nationwide there were 681 traffic accidents, killing 365 people and injuring 453 people, compared to the same period, a decrease of 355 cases (-34.27%), a decrease of 47 deaths (-11.41%), a decrease of 426 injuries (-34.24%), compared to the previous period, a decrease of 347 cases (-34.53%), a decrease of 94 deaths (-20.47%), a decrease of 301 injuries (-39.92%).

The representative of the Traffic Police Department assessed that Decree 168 issued with many acts of increasing the level of penalties has had a profound impact on awareness, significantly raising the consciousness of traffic participants. The competent authorities and forces implementing the task of ensuring traffic safety all determined that "the goal is not to increase the level of fines collected for the State budget but to be determined to raise the awareness of traffic participants in complying with the law on road traffic".

Timely adjust traffic organization to ensure smooth traffic

In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year 2025, traffic density on the roads in big cities has increased rapidly, with traffic jams occurring frequently.

Assessing the above situation, according to the representative of the Traffic Police Department of Hanoi City Police, the demand for travel and shopping of people has increased, at the same time, there are still many construction works in Hanoi that occupy part of the roadway. These are the main reasons why traffic has become tense in recent days.

In Ho Chi Minh City, many roads in the center and gateway areas have also been continuously congested and stuck for long periods of time.

According to Mr. Bui Hoa An - Deputy Director of the Department of Transport of Ho Chi Minh City, traffic volume from the beginning of 2025 will increase by 2.8-11.4% compared to the end of 2024, concentrated in central areas, Tan Son Nhat airport and gateways.

Regarding traffic congestion, according to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Loi - Deputy Head of the Traffic Safety Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to the high traffic density at the end of the year, many people are "afraid of being fined" so they tend to drive slower than average and stop early when passing intersections even though the green light has not yet turned. Some intersections allow right turns or continuous straight-through, but many people still stop and wait, causing the vehicles behind to be backed up.

To limit traffic congestion, units in Ho Chi Minh City are proactively implementing many solutions. Some urgent solutions have been implemented, such as arranging right, left, and straight turn signals (arrow lights) at appropriate intersections, combined with flexible adjustment of traffic lights.

"The city police are focusing on deploying forces at hot spots, while also directing traffic from a distance to limit traffic from reaching congested areas," said Mr. Nguyen Dinh Duong - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Police.

Some opinions say that traffic jams have become more serious after Decree 168 was applied, however, Dr. Nguyen Huu Duc - a traffic expert, assessed that this is a negative and unconstructive view.

"Decree 168 being applied in practice contributes to raising people's awareness. Regarding traffic congestion, we have to look at it from other aspects, such as traffic infrastructure and traffic organization. If infrastructure is still weak, we must first focus on organization. Currently, cities are making efforts to improve this issue," Dr. Nguyen Huu Duc shared.