Drunk driver arrested after accident kills 3 people

Nguyen Duc Thinh, an official of the Bac Giang management committee for road maintenance under the Department of Transport, was arrested by the police in Bac Giang pending further investigation of the accident.

According to initial investigations, Thinh attended a farewell party Thursday evening at his old workplace and consumed alcohol before driving home in his car.

Around 11:30 p.m., Thinh struck Nguyen Van Hung, 48, his wife Duong Thi Quyen, 44, and their daughter, Nguyen Thuy Duong, 13, at an intersection.

All three family members, traveling on a motorbike, were killed on the spot.

Thinh, 35, was found to be driving under the influence of 0.604 milligrams of alcohol per liter of breath.

An official of Bac Giang Department of Transport said that Thinh has just been transferred from the province’s investment fund under the Bac Giang Department of Finance, to the management committee for road maintenance under the Department of Transport. The department has suspended Thinh from work after the incident.

Anyone driving with alcohol present in their body would face either fines or criminal charges in accordance with Vietnamese law.

Under current regulations, alcohol concentration of more than 80mg/100 ml of blood or 0.4mg/l of breath attracts the highest fines of VND30-40 million ($1,293-1,724). Drunk driving only invites criminal prosecution when it causes accidents and/or other consequences. There have been calls for making the laws more stringent and clear.