Will running a red light to go to the emergency room result in a traffic fine? What did the traffic police say that attracted attention?

The Traffic Police Department (Ministry of Public Security) has just explained the case of "on-the-spot fines" for running a red light while transporting someone to the hospital for emergency treatment. If it is determined to be an "urgent situation" according to the law, the driver may not be fined after verification, based on specific documents and evidence.

On March 23, representatives from the Traffic Police Department (Ministry of Public Security) provided information to address concerns regarding several vehicle owners reporting being fined by the "on-the-spot" system for running red lights while transporting relatives to the emergency room. This issue quickly attracted significant public attention due to its direct relevance to real-life traffic emergencies.

According to a representative from the Traffic Police Department, current laws clearly define the concept of "necessary situation." Specifically, Clause 11, Article 2 of the Law on Handling Administrative Violations stipulates that: "necessary situation" is a situation where an individual or organization, in order to avoid a real threat to the interests of the State, an organization, or their own or others' legitimate rights and interests, has no other option but to cause a smaller damage than the damage that needs to be prevented.

Based on this regulation, authorities stated that in practice, cases where drivers are forced to run red lights, enter the emergency lane, or commit other traffic violations solely for the purpose of transporting a sick person to the hospital in a timely manner can be considered "emergency situations." This is an important factor in determining whether or not to impose penalties in each specific case.

Beyond just emergency situations, a representative from the Traffic Police Department also provided another example from real-world traffic situations. According to them, when a vehicle is stopped at a red light and an emergency vehicle, such as an ambulance or fire truck, appears behind it, while traffic congestion is occurring, the driver may be permitted to move the vehicle past the stop line and pull over to the right to give way to the emergency vehicle. This case could also be considered an act stemming from an urgent situation to ensure that the right of way is given to the emergency response team.

A representative from the Traffic Police Department emphasized: "The Law on Handling Administrative Violations stipulates that no penalties will be imposed for violations committed in emergency situations." This is an important principle to ensure the humane and flexible nature of the law, while avoiding rigid application in special circumstances.

However, authorities also note that not all violations are automatically exempt from penalties. For vehicle owners who receive a "traffic violation notice," if they believe their violation stemmed from an emergency situation, they should proactively go to the traffic police station to cooperate.

When reporting for work, drivers must bring all relevant personal and vehicle documents, and provide evidence proving the emergency situation, such as videos, images from dashcams, witness testimonies, or relevant medical documents in case of transporting someone to the emergency room. This is crucial for law enforcement to review, compare, and verify the incident.

After receiving the information, the traffic police will verify and clarify the entire violation situation. If the verification results show that it is indeed a case of "emergency situation" as stipulated by law, the driver will not be penalized. Conversely, if there is insufficient evidence to prove it, the handling will be carried out according to current regulations.

People "shyly" pay fines, HCMC traffic jams locally, ambulances "cry" waiting for red lights Hoa Chỉ15:25:55 12/01/2025After Decree 168 has been in effect for nearly 2 weeks, traffic participants have become more disciplined. However, the decree is still controversial because of the fear of huge fines, so people do not give way to ambulances when waiting at red lights.