This detail means no vehicle control for those with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of more than 0mg/100ml of blood or over 0mg/1 liter of breath.
Many drivers as well as functional agencies voiced that it is better to introduce a minimum level instead of applying the zero-milligram one. Ha Trong Dai from Thai Binh Province commented that the current level is too strict, saying that many fruits contain a certain level of alcohol themselves, so it is unfair to punish people who happen to eat these fruits before operating a vehicle.
Oppositely, other people like Luu Hoang Long – a passenger driver in Cau Giay District of Hanoi – shared that the zero-milligram level is alright, and that it is absolutely necessary to fine those violating the BAC regulation in order to minimize serious traffic accidents.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Cong Nguyen – Director of the Department of Legal Affairs, Administrative and Judicial Reform (under Ministry of Public Security) – informed that this absolute ban of traffic participation to those with a BAC level of more than zero milligram is because there is now no absolute scientific conclusion about drinking alcohol without being drunk, or about the necessary time for alcohol to completely disappear in the body after drinking beer and wine.
In 2023, after the adoption of the regulation related to BAC in traffic control, the proportion of traffic accidents decreased by 25 percent, while the rates of deaths and injuries from traffic accidents also dropped by 50 percent and 22 percent respectively compared to 2022. An increase in the minimum level may lead to inconsistency in the violation checking and handling process. More importantly, this regulation is in harmony with the one in the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Alcohol and Beer 2019.
The case of still having a certain level of alcohol in the body after one day only proves that the person is not yet ready to participate in traffic with an alert mind and might cause accidents due to his or her tiredness and lack of concentration.
“The Public Security Ministry proposes that the Government continue to carry out the regulation of absolutely banning people with any level of alcohol (the level is higher than zero) in body to control a vehicle so that sanctions can be strictly applied. This is supposed to gradually form a good traffic habit of never operating a vehicle after drinking any amount of alcohol while ensuring the consistency of legal documents”, said Director Nguyen.
Before adding this important content into the draft Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, the Department of Legal Affairs, Administrative and Judicial Reform had already collected public opinions, conducted necessary research and evaluation. The results indicate that in the traffic culture of Vietnam, it is critical to set the BAC level at zero milligram to maintain the consistency with other regulations in the applicable laws of the country.
What is worth mentioning is that even with such an extreme regulation and its strict adoption, during the Tet holiday this year, the number of traffic law violations related to alcohol level in the nation is still rather high, showing the existence of a bad habit as well as low awareness of a large quantity of citizens in the aspect of using alcohol before controlling a vehicle. This is tremendously troublesome.
