From May 15, 2026, Decree No. 81/2026/ND-CP of the Government stipulating penalties for administrative violations in the field of railway transport officially took effect, many acts have increased the penalty level.
Acts such as crossing level crossing barriers when barriers are moving; crossing level crossings when red lights have been turned on; not complying with the orders and instructions of traffic signs, road markings or instructions of level crossing guards... for motorbike and motorcycle drivers are fined from 4 to 6 million VND (previously from 600,000 - 1 million VND).
For car drivers, the fine is from 18 to 20 million VND (previously from 4 - 6 million VND), license revocation from 1 to 3 months.
Compared to the time before Decree 81/2026 was applied, the number of violations has now decreased significantly.
As in Hanoi, in the first 3 days of implementing the Decree (from May 15 to 17, 2026), the number of violations decreased by more than 80% compared to the previous 3 days. Meanwhile, the latest statistics from the Traffic Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security, nationwide, the number of violations also tended to decrease, from 87 cases on May 16 to 58 cases on May 18.
Real-world records of reporters in Hanoi show that at intersections between roads and railways that used to frequently occur violations such as National Highway 5 - Trau Quy or Phan Trong Tue - National Highway 1A, people are now more aware of complying with warning signals.
I fully support increasing fines. However, the most important thing is still the awareness of each citizen, because just one intentional violation can directly affect their own life and the lives of others. In many recent accidents, when motorbikes or cars collide with trains, the consequences are mostly very serious, even death or serious injury" - Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tien (Hanoi) shared.
Directly performing duties at the checkpoint, Mr. Doan Nhu Hung - an employee of Ha Hai Railway Joint Stock Company - recommends that people absolutely comply with warning signals at level crossings intersecting with the railway. According to Mr. Hung, when the signal bell has rang or the checkpoint starts to lower, traffic participants need to stop to ensure safety.
Don't trade your safety and the safety of others for being fast or slow for 1-2 minutes" - Mr. Hung emphasized.
