The National Assembly Standing Committee agreed to absolutely ban alcohol concentration.

Standing Member of the National Defense and Security Committee Trinh Xuan An

Responding at a press conference before the meeting on the morning of May 19, Standing member of the National Defense and Security Committee Trinh Xuan An said that at the 7th meeting opening on May 20, the National Assembly will consider passing the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety. During the discussion, there were two streams of opinion: supporting the absolute ban on alcohol concentration and proposing to stipulate a specific threshold for punishment.

According to Mr. An, the drafting agency is the Ministry of Public Security and the reviewing agency is the National Defense and Security Committee, which has carefully studied the opinions of delegates, consulted experts at seminars, discussions and discussed specifically for the Government to study. "As a result, the majority of opinions agreed to an absolute ban," he said.

A representative of the National Defense and Security Committee said that the Committee also consulted people's opinions through press channels. He gave an example of VnExpress newspaper, which presented many arguments and points of view on this issue and attracted a lot of attention from readers. "We read each comment to evaluate carefully. Because this is an issue with different opinions, the Committee is very careful, considering and accepting each point of view," said Mr. An.

The Standing Committee of the National Defense and Security Committee affirmed that the absolute ban on alcohol concentration is consistent with the Law on Prevention and Control of Alcohol Harm and the 2008 Road Traffic Law. Current laws all stipulate absolute ban. Therefore, choosing this option has both legal and theoretical grounds, scientific grounds and is supported by delegates.

The debate on "zero alcohol concentration when driving" began at the National Assembly session at the end of 2023, when some members of the National Defense and Security Committee said that an absolute ban on drivers with alcohol concentration in blood or breath was "too strict and inappropriate". These people suggested referring to international experience and regulating alcohol concentration at appropriate levels for each type of vehicle; ensuring consistency with the provisions of the Penal Code.

In the document explaining some new contents of the draft Law, the Ministry of Public Security also reserved the view that the alcohol concentration should be 0 when driving to help drivers avoid the situation of "being forced to drink alcohol". Moreover, drivers must maintain alertness and quick reflexes when participating in traffic to handle unexpected situations.

Decree 100/2019 stipulates administrative penalties for violations in the field of road and railway traffic, stating that drivers will be fined if their alcohol concentration exceeds 0. The highest fine for cyclists is 400,000 to 600,000 VND; motorbikes 6 to 8 million VND, driving license revocation for 22-24 months; cars 30 to 40 million VND, driving license revocation for 22-24 months.

TN (according to VnE)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/thuong-vu-quoc-hoi-thong-nhat-cam-tuyet-doi-nong-do-con-382081.html