Amidst arguments about whether illegal racers’ motorbikes should be destroyed or confiscated, the Hanoi and HCMC police reported they had seized 166 such motorbikes last month.
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| The Hanoi and HCMC police reported they had seized 166 such motorbikes last month |
The Hanoi mobile police reported that they had handled many motorbike-racing cases in September, seizing about 150 motorbikes and prosecuting a number of racers.
In HCMC, the railway and road traffic police department seized 16 bikes in the same month. Illegal races in HCMC often occur from 10 pm to 6 am on Thursdays and Fridays, the department said.
Under prevailing regulations, motorbikes used in racers can be confiscated if they are owned by the racers, but they cannot be confiscated if they had been borrowed or hired from others, said Colonel Phan Van Hung, commander of the Hanoi mobile police force.
In order to eliminate illegal races, it is advisable to confiscate any racing vehicles, despite their origin, Hung suggested.
In addition, racers’ driving licenses must be revoked, fines on them must be heavier, and racers must be referred to local authorities for warning and education, Hung said.
As reported by Tuoi Tre, Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang suggested destroying racing vehicles as a way to curb illegal street racers, while Nguyen Duc Nhanh, chief of the Hanoi police department, said these vehicles should be auctioned instead.
Nhanh said destroying these vehicles would be a big waste.
He recommended that racers’ cars or motorbikes should be auctioned off to donate proceeds to needy people and victims of natural disasters and Agent Orange.
Two National Assembly members, Tran Du Lich and Hoang Huu Phuong, agreed with Nhanh.
Racing vehicles have been auctioned for the past 10 years in the central city of Da Nang and such a policy has been proved effective so far, Lich said.
These vehicles should be auctioned and the proceeds thereof should be donated to flood-hit victims or used as rewards to people who contribute to prevent street crimes, Phuong said.