Mixed opinions on the proposal that people riding motorbikes under 50cc must have a driver's license

Commenting on the report on judicial activities and crime prevention at the National Assembly on the morning of November 21, delegate Ly Thi Lan (Deputy Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Ha Giang Province) pointed out the high level of students violating traffic safety and order.

The 2008 Road Traffic Law stipulates that people 16 years of age or older are allowed to drive motorbikes under 50cc; people 18 years of age or older are allowed to drive two-wheeled motorbikes, three-wheeled motorbikes of 50cc or more and vehicles with similar structures.

In fact, high school students and people over 16 years old use vehicles under 50cc to participate in traffic a lot. According to statistics from the Traffic Police Department, in the first 9 months of this year, there were 8,333 traffic accidents nationwide, of which 563 cases involved students, killing more than 300 and injuring 528.

students riding motorbikes.jpeg — A high school student in Hanoi drove a motorbike carrying 3 people without wearing a helmet and swerved on the road (Photo: Dinh Hieu)

Also related to this issue, Mr. Khuat Viet Hung, Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, is concerned that the situation of teenagers gathering to drive at high speed, weaving in and out of traffic, causing public disorder and illegal racing in some localities is becoming more complicated, with many modified vehicles appearing, potentially causing traffic insecurity.

“In the first 9 months of the year, the whole country discovered 110 cases with 1,855 subjects having behaviors of driving erratically, weaving, driving in groups at high speed, showing signs of illegal racing, disturbing public order.

Authorities have detained 1,559 vehicles and prosecuted 21 criminal cases with 147 subjects compared to the same period in 2022, an increase of 18 cases (19.57%)," Mr. Hung informed.

Believing that users of motorbikes under 50cc are mainly students, who have not been trained, tested, or even have insufficient awareness of traffic safety laws, delegate Ly Thi Lan proposed that the Government and ministries consider issuing regulations on training, testing, and use of motorbikes under 50cc.

Talking to VietNamNet reporters about the above proposal, Mr. Nguyen Van Quyen, Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, said that currently, the country has 23 million students, of which high school students account for 30-40%. Therefore, the proposal to apply regulations on testing and granting driving licenses for vehicles under 50cc needs to assess the necessity and impact on society.

"If the regulation is applied but the impact is not assessed, it will lead to shock for schools and parents and overload driving training centers, which will be bad and unsafe consequences for society," said Mr. Quyen.

Agreeing with this view, a traffic expert informed that developed countries in the world do not require drivers of motorbikes under 50cc to take a test or have a driver's license.

In Vietnam, the main users of this type of vehicle are high school students. Schools also have integrated lessons on traffic safety, including driving motorbikes under 50cc. If students are required to study and take the driving test to get a driver’s license, it will cause “overload” for training and testing facilities.

Having witnessed many groups of students weaving on the street, even three in a row without helmets, Mr. Nguyen Van Cong (in Tay Ho, Hanoi) supports the idea that students can only drive 50cc motorbikes if they have a driver's license.

"I think students do not fully understand the law and are not aware of the dangers of their actions, so they need to learn thoroughly about traffic laws and take full exams," said Mr. Cong.

The draft Road Law recently submitted to the National Assembly at this session does not include the content that drivers of vehicles under 50cc must take a driving test and be granted a driving license. Similarly, the draft Road Traffic Safety Law recently submitted at the 6th session also does not mention this content.

Source