HANOI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese Ministry of Transport has proposed a ban on driving continuously for more than eight hours a day and more than three hours at night in a bid to raise road safety, local newspaper Vietnam News reported on Friday.
Specifically, at night (from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day), the continuous driving time must not exceed three hours and in the daytime hours, the total driving time of the driver must not exceed eight hours, the newspaper said, noting that the regulation is applied to transport vehicle drivers.
The tightening of driving time at night will limit the driver's fatigue and overwork, thereby preventing traffic accidents, the newspaper cited an official.
According to the ministry, the regulation on driving hours is to control the risk of traffic accidents caused by tired drivers, especially long-distance truck drivers.
Nguyen Van Quyen, president of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, said the regulation is not appropriate as long-distance transport businesses will have to hire more drivers to ensure the rotation. He also noted that the regulation on driving time without specific pilot studies should not be incorporated into the Law.
Meanwhile, Senior Colonel Pham Viet Cong, deputy chief of the Office of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said in order to limit traffic accidents at night, it was necessary to install more lighting and warning systems on the road.
A total of 5,928 traffic accidents occurred in the first seven months of this year in Vietnam, with 3,428 people dead, according to the country's General Statistics Office. ■