Can Drivers View Photos of ‘Cold-Penalty’ Offenses from 1/1/2025?

Circular No. 73/2024/TT-BCA on the patrol, control, and handling of administrative violations related to road traffic order and safety by the traffic police took effect on January 1, 2025.

According to the circular, traffic violators and vehicle owners can use the VNeTraffic application, managed and operated by the Ministry of Public Security, to access and comply with road traffic order and safety regulations. The application also serves as a tool for authorized functional forces to inspect, control, and handle violations.

The traffic police will send violation notifications to individuals and vehicles through written documents and electronic means, connecting and sharing data on the VNeTraffic application when the conditions of infrastructure, technical, and information technology are met.

In addition, once the violator and vehicle are identified, the functional forces will update the vehicle’s information (type of vehicle, license plate number and color, time and place of violation, nature of the violation, unit detecting the violation, unit handling the case, and contact phone number) on the website of the Traffic Police Department and the VNeTraffic application so that the vehicle owner and relevant organizations and individuals can be aware and look up information related to the administrative violation.

The VNeTraffic application will also be used for individuals and organizations to provide information (information and images) related to road traffic participants.

According to Circular 73/2024, the traffic police are authorized to use technical means and equipment to detect and collect violations of individuals and vehicles participating in road traffic.

Drivers are responsible for cooperating with the inspection and control requirements through these technical means and equipment.

In cases where the violator requests to view the information, images, and results of the violation detection, the traffic police unit must allow them to do so at the control post. If the information, images, and results are not available at the control post, the functional forces shall guide the violator to view them when handling the violation at the unit headquarters.

If a violating vehicle cannot be stopped for control and handling, the traffic police shall follow the regulations specified in Article 24 of this Circular.

Specifically, within 10 days from the date of detecting the violation, the functional officer at the place of detection shall identify the information of the person and vehicle involved through the vehicle registration agency and the national database.

Then, the traffic police will send a notification of the violation, requesting the vehicle owner or related person to come to the headquarters of the public security agency where the violation was detected to settle the case. At the same time, they will update the information of the violating vehicle on the website of the Traffic Police Department and the VNeTraffic software so that the vehicle owner and related persons can look up the information.

If, after 20 days from the date of sending the violation notification, the vehicle owner, organization, or individual related to the violation does not come to settle the case, the traffic police shall send the violation information to the registration agency for motor vehicles.

For motorcycles, the public security agency at the place of detection shall continue to send the violation notification to the local public security agency where the vehicle owner or related person resides for the transfer of violation information.

Meanwhile, according to the current regulations in Circular No. 32/2023/TT-BCA, in cases of violations subject to “penalty by record,” a notification shall be sent to request the vehicle owner, organization, or individual related to the administrative violation to come to the headquarters of the public security agency where the violation was detected or their place of residence to settle the case.

H.L. (ANTĐ)