More than 4,300 drunk drivers were fined a total of VND23 billion (US$950,000) between December 15, 2022 and January 5, 2023, according to the Hanoi Traffic Police Department.

A traffic police officer performs a breath alcohol test on a potential drunk driver in Hanoi. Photo: Huu Thang/The Hanoi Times

During this time, the Hanoi traffic police also revoke driving licenses of some 2,300 drivers and suspended them for some time.

During the whole of 2022, Hanoi traffic police penalized a total of 17,200 drunk drivers, about 8,800 more people than in 2021, and an increase of more than 194% over 2020.

According to Government Decree 100/ND-CP of December 30, 2019 which regulates administrative fines for infractions committed in road and rail transport, a drunk motorcycle driver can receive a minimum fine of VND2-3 million (US$83-$125) and obtain a suspension of at least 10 months. Also subject to a 10-month suspension, a drunk car driver can receive a minimum fine of VND6-8 million.

The blood alcohol level allowed by Decree 100 ranges between 0.25% and 0.40%, both for motorcycle and car drivers.

During the 22 days of the control, the traffic police detected that many drivers had a very high BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) compared to what is stipulated by the regulation. Despite the harsh punitive measures, some drivers had a BAC of 1.58%, four times the limit.

Drunk drivers explained their blood alcohol contents were high because they can't resist drinking during year-end parties.

Many of them could not stand, let alone drive, but still tried to control the vehicles, which led to tragic accidents. Several of them even insulted and assaulted law enforcement officers.

According to Le Thanh Ha, a resident of Dong Da District, all the restaurants in his neighborhood were full of people enjoying the New Year's Eve festivities. Some drivers were very drunk and crashed into other vehicles on the road.

In view of this situation, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh has called on law enforcement agencies to strictly deal with drunk driving cases. He has also asked civil servants and public employees to strictly abide by the rules.

The Hanoi Traffic Police said that there were always two teams to conduct breathalyzer tests on vehicle drivers and that the two teams used to exchange their posts to better perform their tasks.