[jackbl]

Police determined to clamp down on drink driving, how about sgp???

Police checkpoints set up near bia hoi shops
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VietNamNet Bridge – Traffic police in Ha Noi have set up check-points near bia hoi (fresh beer) venues to measure drivers' alcohol concentration as part of national traffic safety month.

Under current regulations, drunk drivers face a maximum fine of VND400,000 (US$20) for driving with an alcohol level of 0.25-0.4mg per litre of breath and a maximum fine of VND1 million ($50) for higher alcohol concentrations.

Maximum fines for drunk car drivers is VND1.4 million ($70) for alcohol levels of between 0.25-0.4mg per litre of breath and VND10 million ($500) for higher alcohol concentrations.

"What drivers need to do is just to blow in the breathalyser pipe and each driver will use a new pipe for personal hygiene," a traffic policeman on duty at Tang Bat Ho Street in Hoan Kiem District, told Viet Nam News yesterday, Sep 8.

"Their alcohol concentration can also be automatically measured when they start to speak near the breathalyser," said the policeman, who did not want his name published.

"The campaign is scheduled to last until the end of this month and a similar campaign is expected to be carried out in the coming months to clamp down on drink drivers," he said.

Beer lover Le Minh Thai told Viet Nam News that he was willing to be tested by the police and pay for the fine if he was over the limit.

"However, I don't think it's feasible for these campaigns to be carried out regularly as there are so many fresh beer venues across the city and a limited number of police," he said.

"The fine is strict enough but it's still easy for us to find ways to drink beer without being fined such as using taxis or motorbike taxis after drinking instead of our own vehicles, or finding a beer stall that isn't watched by traffic police," he stressed.

Local police punished nearly 300 people since early this month, with fines totalling nearly VND180 million ($9,000).

Traffic police reported that in the first six months of the year nearly 25,000 traffic violations have been related to alcohol, while the total figure for 2010 was 28,000.

Road safety is a growing concern for authorities as traffic accidents have killed and injured more than 12,000 people in the first seven months of the year.

Statistics from the health ministry reveal that around 1.5 billion litres of beer and 350 million litres of wine are consumed in Viet Nam each year.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News