Record and Report Traffic Violations, Get Paid Millions

KatadataOTO – Until now, traffic violations have always been monitored by police officers, but not all areas can be reached. Some incidents are even recorded by the public's cameras and go viral on social media.

Therefore, the government of Vietnam has innovated to take advantage of this. They will give money up to VND 5 million, or the equivalent of IDR 3.1 million, to those who successfully record traffic violation incidents.

It should be noted that the amount received actually varies because it is only 10 percent of the total fine. Thus, it is not impossible that minor violations will only receive a smaller payment.

Not only that, the Vietnamese government is now aggressively installing surveillance cameras, increasing fines, and tightening laws for traffic violations.

Photo : Courtesy

For example, the fine for running a red light has increased from the previous VND 4 million - 6 million (IDR 2.5 - IDR 3.8 million) to VND 18 - 20 million (IDR 11.4 – 12.7 million).

Meanwhile, for some minor violations such as ignoring an officer's instructions or obstructing a traffic inspection, the fine will be 30 times higher than before.

Drivers will be notified via the VNeTraffic smartphone application that they have committed a traffic violation. The same application is also used by those who record the violations.

Reported by Carscoops, the government's decision to give money to those who record traffic violations is expected to make road users more disciplined. Thus, public safety can be maintained.

Although the amount is quite large, the local government is optimistic that this will not be detrimental. This is because more violations will be caught, increasing revenue.

The government also emphasized that the fines they collect, along with a portion of the revenue from license plate auctions, will be used to improve road safety. Several facilities are planned to be installed, such as the development of information systems, maintenance of traffic data, and salaries for officers on night duty.

Photo : Courtesy

This step taken by the Vietnamese government is very different from Indonesia. The police prefer to use a point deduction system, which could potentially cause offenders to lose their driver's license.

This policy is believed to have a deterrent effect and make the public more disciplined while driving.