The total fines imposed exceeded VND6 billion.
The plenty of motorbike drivers were surprised by the significant increase in fines for their traffic violations of primarily driving a vehicle in the pavement or in the wrong direction on the road. With the stricter penalties, drivers said that they certainty would not reoffend.
On the morning of January 1, a reporter from Sai Gon Giai Phong (SGGP) Newspaper joined a patrol of the Thu Duc City Traffic Police.
During this patrol, the traffic police issued an administrative violation record to drivers, mostly motorbike drivers, for driving on the sidewalk and in the opposite direction on the road, with a fine to VND5 million (US$196), increasing nearly ten times or more compared to the previous penalties ranging VND400,000 (US$15.7) to VND600,000 (US$23.6).
Additionally, these violations resulted in a deduction of two points to four points on a driver's license, depending on the violation case.
At the intersection of Nguyen Van Ba Street and Street No. 1 in Truong Tho Ward, Thu Duc City, the police force from the Thu Duc City Traffic Police detected and imposed penalties on seven cases of violations within less than an hour.
These traffic violations included not complying with traffic lights, driving in the wrong direction and on the sidewalk.
Colonel Tran Van Hieu, Head of the Department of Public Security of Thu Duc City informed that beyond patrolling and setting up control checkpoints, the police have also covertly recorded images and video of traffic violations.
When the traffic police showed the photos and clips, the violators admitted and signed the violation records; however, they were surprised by the significant increase in fines.
The Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Police Department indicated in detail about Decree 168, highlighting that intentional acts pose high danger and directly cause traffic accidents see significantly increased fines.
In addition to stricter fines, the violation results in a new penalty of deduction of up to 12 points from driver's licenses.
If a driver loses all their points, they must wait at least six months from the date all points are deducted to participate in a driving test.
The Ho Chi Minh City Road and Railway Traffic Police Division (PC08) under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security reported that by 3:30 p.m. on January 1, the unit recorded 411 cases of road traffic violations, resulting in point deductions from driver's licenses, license point restorations and the temporary seizure of 28 vehicles.
The main violations were alcohol level violations, speeding, driving in the wrong direction and so on.
The total fine was approximately VND360 million (US$14,134).
The leadership of the PC08 emphasized that these figures highlighted the stringent enforcement measures to improve road safety.
