Traffic regulation nixed after debate

The regulation has been the subject of debate since it was issued a week ago.

The decision to withdraw it was made at a meeting of the justice ministry, the city’s department of education and training and the city’s people’s committee yesterday.

The new directive No 932, issued by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training on March 7, said pupils were likely to be suspended from school for not wearing helmets.

Pupils were to be reprimanded publicly for first offences and faced a three-day suspension for a repeat offence. If the pupils violated the law several times, they were to be publicly reprimanded and suspended for a week.

The regulation aimed to strengthen students’ compliance of traffic laws in the 2016-20 period.

There was a debate over the regulation. Many people said the enforcement of traffic laws on pupils was the responsibility of the police. Several parents said the department should apply other kinds of penalties such as community work at schools or re-learning of traffic laws in classes.