Vechicles travel on HCM City - Trung Lương - Mỹ Thuận Expressway's section through the Mekong Delata province of Long An.—VNA/VNS Illustrative Photo Hồng Đạt

HÀ NỘI — The Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security has issued a strong warning urging all drivers to strictly refrain from using mobile phones while driving, particularly on expressways.

According to the department, using a phone while driving on high-speed roads poses serious safety risks.

It leads to loss of concentration, slower reaction times and reduced ability to observe and respond to sudden situations, significantly increasing the likelihood of severe accidents, especially at expressway speeds.

The department advises that in cases of emergency communication, drivers should pull over in designated areas before using their phone.

If absolutely necessary, hands-free devices such as Bluetooth headsets should be used.

Drivers must remain fully focused behind the wheel to ensure their own safety and that of others, the department said.

The warning follows a recent report revealed on Friday that traffic police detected and dealt with 28,175 traffic violations over a six-month period.

Notably, 126 drivers were caught using mobile phones while operating a vehicle, with 71 of those being coach drivers.

From December 15, 2024 to June 14, 2025, traffic police under the department carried out inspections on 180,442 vehicles, uncovering a wide range of offences.

These included violations by 4,263 passenger coaches, 4,653 lorries, 17,571 cars, 1,444 container trucks, 166 motorbikes and 78 other vehicles.

The fines were estimated to be nearly VNĐ126 billion (US$4.8 million).

Authorities also revoked 7,322 driving licences, impounded 595 vehicles and deducted points from 5,916 drivers’ licences.

Among commercial transport vehicles, 64,290 were inspected, resulting in 3,462 violations.

The violations consist of six vehicles equipped with journey monitoring and in-cabin recording devices that were not functioning; 126 cases of mobile phone use while driving, detected via monitoring systems; 1,794 cases of seatbelt non-compliance; 721 cases of cargo stored in passenger compartments; 345 cases of overloading passengers; 17 cases of exceeding regulated driving hours.

Last Saturday, a lorry with registration number 37B-183.51, driven by Nguyễn Duy H., residing in Hoàng Mai Town, Nghệ An Province, was stopped for holding a phone while driving. He was fined VNĐ4-6 million ($153-229) and got four demerit points on his driving licence.

The department has pledged to maintain a zero-tolerance approach to violations that lead to road traffic accidents in the coming time.— VNS