“A New Rule for Young Passengers: Keeping Kids Safe in Cars”

On the morning of June 27, the National Assembly voted to pass the Law on Order and Safety of Road Traffic. This is one of the two laws separated from the Law on Road Traffic, along with the Law on Roads.

The Law on Order and Safety of Road Traffic consists of 9 chapters and 89 articles and will take effect from January 1, 2025. Some notable points in this Law include:

Children under 10 years old are not allowed to sit in the front seat of a car

According to the new regulations on road traffic safety and order, children under 10 years old or under 1.35 meters in height, when transported in passenger cars, must not sit in the front seat next to the driver; children under 4 years old must be transported in a child safety seat (except for taxis or other public transport vehicles as prescribed by road traffic laws). The driver is responsible for checking and ensuring that the child is securely fastened with a seatbelt.

Thus, children under 10 years old or under 1.35 meters in height will not be allowed to sit in the front seat of a car. This regulation will take effect from January 1, 2026.

Strict prohibition on driving under the influence of alcohol

The Law on Order and Safety of Road Traffic prohibits “driving a vehicle on the road while there is alcohol in the blood or breath.” This regulation is inherited from the 2008 Law on Road Traffic and is consistent with the provisions of Article 5, Clause 6 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Alcohol’s Harmful Effects, specifically applied to the field of road traffic safety.

According to Clause 5, Article 87 of the Law on Order and Safety of Road Traffic, the Ministry of Health will be responsible for determining the alcohol concentration in the blood and the endogenous alcohol concentration as a basis for identifying cases of driving with alcohol concentration in the blood or breath due to the use of alcohol, beer, or other alcoholic beverages.

Driving license point deduction

Driving license point deduction is a completely new regulation in the Law on Order and Safety of Road Traffic. This is the first time that Vietnam has legalized the point system for driving licenses.

Article 58 of the Law stipulates that the driving license points are used to manage the compliance with the law on road traffic order and safety of the driver, consisting of 12 points. The number of points deducted for each violation depends on the nature and severity of the violation.

Data on the deducted points will be updated in the database immediately after the penalty decision takes effect. The driving license will be restored to 12 points if it has not been fully deducted and has not had any deductions within 12 months from the date of the most recent deduction.

In case the driving license is deducted to zero points, the violator will not be allowed to drive a vehicle on the road according to the type of license that has been deducted to zero points. After at least 6 months from the date of zero points, the license holder can take a test on knowledge of laws on road traffic order and safety, organized by the traffic police. Only those who pass the test will have their 12 points restored.

Regulations on school buses

According to the Law on Order and Safety of Road Traffic, passenger cars transporting preschool and school-age children must be equipped with a device to record images of the children. The vehicle must also have a function to warn and prevent children from being left unattended in the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle’s age must not exceed 20 years, and the color must comply with the government’s regulations.

Moreover, cars transporting preschool children or primary school students must be equipped with age-appropriate seat belts or age-appropriate seats as prescribed by law.

Allowing auction of motorcycle license plates

According to the newly passed Law on Order and Safety of Road Traffic, motorcycle license plates will be auctioned with a starting price of no less than 5 million VND. Previously, only car license plates were auctioned with a starting price of no less than 40 million VND.

In addition, according to information from the Traffic Police Department, yellow license plates with black letters and numbers are also allowed to be auctioned. These license plates are issued to commercial vehicles.

The deposit amount must not be lower than the starting price of the license plate being auctioned.