Recent years have witnessed the haunting consequences of traffic accidents, which is a pressing issue of the whole society. According to annual accident statistics, tens of thousands of people die and suffer injuries due to traffic accidents, which leads to severe consequences for many families, entities, and the society. In the Military, traffic safety violations that lead to loss of lives, casualties, and vehicle damage remain complicated and have not been effectively prevented. As for Binh Duong province, its rapid urbanisation and the vast number of concentrated industrial zones result in a tremendous influx of residents and the country’s highest traffic density. Meanwhile, military and civilian personnel in the Provincial armed forces participate in traffic on a regular basis; therefore, they are prone to numerous potential safety hazards. As a result, the armed forces of Binh Duong province have been chosen by the Party Committee and High Command of Military Region 7 to construct the model unit of traffic safety in 2023 to lay a foundation for drawing experience and duplicating within the Military Region. Being fully aware of the privilege and responsibility and with a high spirit of unity, consensus, and determination, the Party Committee and Military Command of the Province have paid great attention to leading and directing legal dissemination, education, and enforcement of traffic safety with multiple specific measures.

General Department of Technology checks the compliance of traffic safety regulations at the Provincial Military Command

On the foundation of thoroughly grasping and seriously implementing the documents of higher echelons, especially Directive No. 458/CT-QK issued on February 24^th, 2023 by High Command of Military Region 7 and Instruction No. 385/HD-XM issued on February 27^th, 2023 by the Military Region’s Steering Committee of Campaign 50 on constructing a model unit of traffic safety in 2023, the Military Command of Binh Duong province has issued a Specialised Resolution which determines to “Address all shortcomings, reach the goal of minimise violation of order and safety traffic, aim for eliminating serious traffic accidents and those caused by subjective mistakes,…”. Consequently, the Provincial Military Command has issued Directive No. 431/CT-BCH on constructing the model unit of traffic safety within the Provincial armed forces. The Steering Committee 50 of the Provincial Military Command has based on the directives and instructions of higher echelons to map out plans, guidance, targets, requirements, contents, and measures that accord with the practice and tasks of its agencies and units. In quarterly and monthly resolutions, all party organisations must evaluate the results of leadership and direction; supplement content, programmes, and measures for organisation and implementation; attach importance to the responsibility of party committee levels, commanders, functional agencies, and mass organisations to concretise the contents of the resolutions in accordance with the characteristics and requirements of tasks; integrate the assurance of order and traffic safety with the fulfilment of the political tasks of the agencies and units. Simultaneously, the Provincial Military Command has consolidated and supplemented traffic safety work for the Coordination Committee; and stringently maintained working regulations. In particular, the Technical Department assumes a permanent role in advising the Party Committee and the Military Command of the Province to lead, direct, and instruct agencies and units. The Military Command of the districts, towns, cities, and the 6^th Regiment  implement in accordance with the guidance and instructions of the Provincial Military Command and the Military Region on constructing the model unit of traffic safety in 2023.

In order to raise the self-awareness of abiding by the order and traffic safety and establish a “Traffic culture” for cadres, soldiers, and self-defence forces, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Military Command have paid great attention to selecting contents, renewing forms, and methods of propagating and educating traffic safety in accordance with the characteristics, responsibilities, and tasks of each subject. Accordingly, the Provincial Military Party Committee has directed to incorporate the content of order and traffic safety into the regular programme on political education and legal dissemination. The form and methods of education and propagation have been diversified. Apart from inclusive and specialised education, party committees and commanders at all levels have step-by-step incorporated order and traffic safety assurance into periodical meetings of mass organisations. The focus of the propagation contents is on the Law on Road Traffic in 2008 and documents on guiding the implementation of directives and regulations at all levels regarding traffic safety assurance and management and maintenance of discipline, etc. Agencies and units have launched emulation and each individual has made a commitment to fully observing the traffic order and safety regulations. Simultaneously, the Provincial Military Party Committee has also directed the Military Command of Thu Dau Mot City to establish the Province’s model of order and traffic safety assurance in 2023. Accordingly, agencies and units can visit, study, draw experience, and apply the model to the practical condition of their units.

Self-defence force in collaboration with the police of Di An city patrol to maintain traffic order and safety

To prevent and mitigate traffic accidents within the Provincial armed forces, the Provincial Military Command has directed and guided its units to propose practical and effective measures to ensure absolute safety for drivers and all of its cadres, soldiers, and self-defence forces when moving on roads. The Military Command has also issued various binding documents that require strict compliance such as regulations on ensuring order and traffic safety in training; prohibiting driving after drinking; regulations on the use of cars and motorbikes for each subject, etc. These contents have been widely popularised so that each and every party committee level and commander can thoroughly perform. Recently, the Provincial Steering Committee 50 has coordinated with the Provincial Traffic Committee and Traffic Police to organise five concentrated propagation sessions at the Provincial Military Command for 275 rounds of cadres, soldiers, self-defence forces, and reserve forces; simultaneously, the Steering Committee has directed its subordinate agencies and units to coordinate with local agencies and authorities to organise propagation sessions for 1,035 rounds of cadres, soldiers, self-defence forces, and reserve forces. Besides, political agencies at all levels have actively coordinated with news agencies of the Province and Military Region 7 Newspaper to organise legal propagation, dissemination, and education of order and traffic safety on mass media. Agencies and units have actively conducted legal propagation and dissemination of order and traffic safety by implementing daily questions regarding traffic laws, the Law on Prevention and Control of Harms of Liquor and Beer Abuse, Decree No. 100/2019/NĐ-CP issued on December 30^th, 2019 by the Prime Minister on stipulating the administrative penalties for violations on road and railway traffic, etc. As for military drivers, in addition to general training in laws on road traffic, the Provincial Military Command has also directed the strengthening of disciplinary training, particularly in managing, using, storing, and maintaining military vehicles. Through these measures, driver team  can improve their legal knowledge, ensure order and traffic safety, and strictly adhere to military discipline anywhere and anytime.

Regarding the management and use of military vehicles, personal vehicles, and traffic participants on roads, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Military Party Committee and Command have directed their agencies at all levels to accelerate the implementation of Circular No. 169/2021/TT-BQP issued on December 23^rd, 2021 by the Ministry of National Defence on registering, managing, and using military vehicles as well as technical safety inspection and environmental preservation of military vehicles. It is a must that military vehicles are prohibited from traffic participation if they are overloaded, exceed the allowed number of passengers, or do not meet technical safety standards. Maintaining, repairing, and inspecting technical safety and environmental preservation of the vehicles must be strictly followed. Regular checks have been conducted to assess the technical condition and compulsory documents of military and personal vehicles. Vehicles that are far from meeting technical safety standards or short of the necessary documents have been prohibited from participating in traffic. Simultaneously, emphasis has been placed on additional training to master the use of new-generation military vehicles that have been allocated; training in vehicle control skills, the ability to assess and deal with all traffic situations, and the traffic systems in areas with high traffic density, etc. Military vehicle inspection forces and Military police have intensified their patrol and inspection over military personnel and vehicles participating in traffic; inspected legal procedures with regard to vehicles and drivers inside units; and conducted alcohol blood tests on drivers before joining the traffic. Throughout the first six months of 2023, the functional forces of the Provincial Military Command have organised numerous patrols and military checks. This contributes to promptly detecting and correcting technical violations of military vehicles and drivers’ code of conduct so that traffic violations that require enforcement action have been minimised. Simultaneously, technical inspection of vehicles has been strictly maintained before, during, and after missions with the principle that safety must always be the top priority. As a result, military transportation vehicles always meet the requirements of regular and unscheduled tasks and ensure mobility readiness for all situations.

As for those operating vehicles, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Military Party Committee and Command have required their cadres, soldiers, and self-defence forces to strictly comply with all regulations on personnel, vehicles, equipment, and necessary driving documents when moving outside the military base and during off-duty hours and days-off. They must not violate alcohol concentration limits and speeding, disregard traffic signals, change lanes improperly, or use uninspected or technically unsafe vehicles. Agencies and units have closely coordinated with individuals’ families to manage the use of vehicles during their leave. Thanks to the thorough direction and implementation of multiple positive measures, over the past time, the assurance of order and traffic safety of the Provincial armed forces has witnessed tremendous progress and a reduction of violations and severe traffic accidents has been promptly prevented. In 2022 and the first six months of 2023, the Provincial armed forces ensure absolute safety without any violations of order and traffic safety.

Ensuring order and traffic safety is the responsibility of all levels, branches, and the entire society; in particular, the responsibility of the Provincial armed forces is of utmost importance. On the foundation of the results and experience from establishing a unit model of traffic safety, the armed forces of Binh Duong Province will continue to strive for the building of self-awareness of traffic law compliance among officers, soldiers, and self-defence forces to formulate a traffic culture, ensure the order and traffic safety, and accomplish all tasks in all situations.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN DINH CHUAN, Political Commissar of Binh Duong Provincial Military Command