Saigoneers may find themselves in trouble from now on should they happen to turn right on a red light in the presence of a police officer.
Lieutenant Colonel Huynh Trung Phong, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City traffic police force, shared with Tuoi Tre that according to Vietnam’s current traffic laws, all vehicles must stop at red lights.
He went on to say that, according to current regulations, commuters can only bypass red lights in three cases: firstly, if there are specific green lights allowing certain vehicles to go straight or turn right at the stop; secondly, if there are signs allowing the bypass; and lastly, if there are traffic islands creating separate paths for vehicles to turn.
However if drivers make a right-hand turn on a red light under any other circumstances, they will be fined. Specifically, motorcyclists will be fined from VND300,000 to VND400,000 and have their driving license confiscated for one to three months if caught. For car drivers, the numbers are VND1.2 million to VND2 million and a license suspension of one to three months.
The policy, however, is not news, as it has been in effect since a new set of traffic regulations came out in 2008. Nonetheless, pretty much everybody was taken aback by the sudden announcement. According to Bao Moi, being able to turn right at red lights has always been an unwritten privilege of Saigon’s motorists, despite it being illegal. The news source also notes that there are recent “rumors that the enforcement will get much stricter”, though it’s not clear where this gossip originated.
In a nutshell, Saigoneers should be extra careful on the road from now on, what with yellow lights being the new red, according to a recent decree, and now this no-turn-on-red shocker.
[Photo via Long Island Report]
