Starting next year, pedestrians who violate road safety regulations and cause a fatality may be jailed.
From January 2018, an updated version of Vietnam’s Penal Code will take effect with many amendments to various aspects of the country’s laws. One such alteration, reports VnExpress, stipulates how Vietnam will start going after perpetrators of traffic law violations.
Specifically, the news source shared that the new law will replace the crime of “breaching regulations on operating road vehicles” with “violating regulations regarding road usage”, effectively including pedestrians and passengers in the list of possible offenders.
The complete updated section on traffic safety of the Penal Code can be found in Vietnamese on Bao Moi here. The online news site shared that violators, including pedestrians, can be fined or put in jail for seven to 15 years in extreme cases that cause fatalities.
These amendments have been well-received by some, as in recent years Vietnam has borne witness to scores of grave accidents that occurred because motorists had to abruptly avoid reckless pedestrians. Jaywalkers run rampant on local streets despite the presence of designated crosswalks and footbridges.
However, others have lamented the chronic occupation of sidewalks, forcing pedestrians onto the road to maneuver around piles of debris and other obstacles.
Vietnam’s new Penal Code was meant to take effect in July 2016, however, it was postponed due to numerous ambiguities and loopholes. The National Assembly finally approved the legislation this June.
[Photo via VnExpress]
