Are the traffic police effective in their duties?

The Ministry of Public Security has called on traffic police in Vientiane to be more vigilant in carrying out their duties. Amid increasingly poor driving standards and lax law enforcement, Vientiane Times asked members of the public for their thoughts on the matter.

Ms Home Phanthavong, a resident of Xaythany district, Vientiane: I think it’s very difficult to turn things around because it seems the law is poorly enforced and most drivers simply refuse to comply with the regulations. Many people don’t understand or know what the regulations are, and the authorities are lax in implementing them.
The authorities should run more publicity campaigns to inform people
about the regulations and make sure that everyone complies with them.

Mr Khamsavang, a resident of Vientiane: I often see news about the lack of compliance with the rules of the road. It a good thing that the au-thorities set up checkpoints to reduce road accidents and try to prevent bad driving. If people didn’t violate the rules so often, officials wouldn’t have to work so hard to maintain order on the roads. The authorities should carry out their duties to the full extent of the law, while members of the public should be more law abiding, not only in their driving, but in paying road tax and getting their vehicles inspected each year. And of course we should all make sure our documents are in order so that we don’t get fined.   

Mr Phouvone Phouvilay, a government official in Sisattanak district, Vientiane: Most people hand over money to get out of a difficult situa-tion when stopped by police for an infringement, whether real or imaginary. Only a few want to go to the police station to plead innocence and pay the set fine, as this takes a very long time. It’s all too easy for the po-lice to accept a handout, but this is often what happens to prevent further proceedings. I think the police should be law abiding in all their actions so that they can earn public trust and respect, and can be trusted to act fairly in all cases. The law needs to be respected by all parties so that there is more compliance and fewer underhand dealings take place.
 
Mr Ounhuen Duangpaserth, a government official from Xayaboury province: There are many obstacles to enforcing the law. Many people don’t understand or know about the regulations and some officials do not behave ethically. Those who break the rules should be held responsible for their actions and made to feel guilty, but most people just pay off the police to get out of trouble. It would be much better if the law was enforced in the manner intended. The authorities should carry out more campaigns to inform the public about the regulations and persuade eve-ryone of the need to comply with them. More should be done to make drivers toe the line, so that our streets are safer.

By Lamphone Pasanthong
(Latest Update May 26, 2022)