In just one day, the traffic police force nationwide handled 71 violations at railway intersections nationwide. Among them, there were many cases of intentionally running red lights and slipping through when the barriers were lowering.
This figure shows a very worrying reality that although railway accidents always have the risk of causing particularly serious consequences, many people are still disregarding warning signals and betting on safety just to be a few seconds faster.
Unlike collisions on roads, railway accidents almost do not give the opportunity to correct mistakes. A car or motorbike can brake suddenly, steering to avoid each other. But trains cannot stop suddenly or change direction to avoid someone trying to cross the railway tracks.
Just one subjective act, an acceleration attempt to overtake when the bell has rang or the barrier is lowering can also be exchanged for consequences with the lives of the violator and many others.
It is worth mentioning that this violation is largely not due to lack of legal knowledge. Most traffic participants know what a red light at a level crossing means, and understand how dangerous it is to run through a barrier. But many people still choose the reckless way!
More dangerously, when those behaviors are repeated too often, it is very easy to become a bad collective habit. One person sees another overcoming it and follows it. Gradually, the act of squeezing through the downing barrier is seen as normal.
The fact that Decree 81/2026/ND-CP strongly increases penalties for crossing level crossings when red lights have been turned on or intentionally passing when the barrier is lowered is necessary.
A violating car driver can now be fined up to 18-20 million VND, and have his driver's license revoked for 1-3 months. This is a fine sufficiently strong to create deterrence. Because for acts that risk causing disaster, leniency in handling sometimes also means condoning danger.
Notably, this time the functional forces also arranged for camouflage officers to record actual violations.
This is a necessary "medicine" to move towards ending a fairly common mentality that many people only comply with traffic lights when they see functional forces standing directly. When there is no inspection, the situation of overtaking trains, stopping vehicles close to the railway tracks or jostling across level crossings recurs.
Finally, in parallel with strong handling measures, the most important thing is still people's traffic awareness and culture. Memorize the slogan of the Traffic Police Department: "It's better to be a minute late than to risk your life".
Most heartbreaking railway accidents start from a few seconds of human impatience. And sometimes, just one moment of subjectivity is enough to pay the price with a lifetime.
