Yesterday, Saigon, Da Nang and Hanoi launched a pilot program in order to curb the prevalence of drunk driving in Vietnam, the cause of 70 percent of traffic accidents in the country.
According to Tuoi Tre, restaurants participating in the “Taking Drunkards Home” program “...are required to stop selling beer or liquor to guests showing signs of drunkenness, advise them not to drive under the influence to avoid danger, offer them assistance by keeping their vehicles at the businesses, and arrange staff to take them home by taxi or in restaurant vehicles.”
The National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) said that it would provide eateries with training and support. Though the latter is quite ambiguous, it could be a nod towards monetary compensation for travel expenses incurred by participating establishments.
The program follows similar schemes in China and South Korea which have not only reduced traffic accidents, but provided more work for drivers, according to the NTSC.
In addition to being a major public health concern, drunk driving in Vietnam is also an economic one. According to Nguyen Hoang Hiep, deputy chairman of the committee, the country lost 2.6 percent of its GDP, or US$3.5 billion, to traffic accidents related to drinking and driving in 2012.
[Photo via Jonathan Kos-Read]
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