Governmental Decree 46, which levies heavier fines on motorists who run yellow lights, is stirring up controversy among Vietnamese netizens.
According to Zing, the new decree, which went into effect on August 1, now puts running a yellow light on par with running a red light as a traffic violation. Motorists found speeding through a yellow light now stand to be fined between VND300,000 and VND400,000 on a motorbike and as up to VND2 million in a car.
Ever since the decree was issued, netizens have fretted over what they deem a lack of clarity in the new regulation, arguing that there are no clear guidelines on what constitutes running a yellow light.
Some proponents of Decree 46 have suggested including a purple light to encourage drivers to stop when they see a yellow light. Illustration via Zing.
Speaking with Zing, Dong Ngoc Ba, director of the Ministry of Justice department responsible for reviewing legal documents, said the aim of the law was to encourage motorists to slow down at yellow lights rather than speed up. According to Ba, motorists who are already past the traffic line when the light turns yellow must continue through the intersection, while those who see a yellow light before reaching the line are obligated to stop.
Still, Ba also acknowledge there was room for confusion. As a result, officials have asked the Ministry of Transport, which drafted the law, to review Decree 46’s language.
Though some have criticized the new regulation online, other officials have also come to its defense – such as Colonel Nguyen Quang Nhat, head of the Ministry of Public Security's communication office – arguing that a yellow light penalty is also enforced in other countries, and that Vietnam, in fact, already had such a law on the books, albeit with a lesser penalty.
[Photo via Zing]
