Beijing Traffic Law

By Andy Son

Beijing is infamous for its traffic. At the end of 2015, the city had

more than 5.6 million cars, with 150,000 new cars hitting the road that

year alone (Wang). Road accidents are a major problem in China, and

Beijing is no exception. According to the World Health Organization,

around 260,000 people die each year in the country due to road accidents

(Shan, Juan). Although it might be easy to think this high rate of road

accidents is due to a lack of adequate traffic laws, Beijing actually has a

robust system of road regulations. There are laws governing speed limits,

seatbelts, cellphones, and drink driving in Beijing just like many other

countries that have better reputations for road safety. This is not only an

issue that's occurring in China but a worldwide problem that's occurring in

countries such as Indonesia, Turkey, Mexico and more. Furthermore, the

penalties for these infringements are often severe. However, the lax

enforcement of these laws raises doubts about how effective they are.

One possible solution to this issue is stricter enforcement of existing

laws. The less researched issue may imply that motorists break traffic

laws out of habit. For police, their responsibility is to intercept motorists

who have such habits. Chen Yanyan, a professor at Beijing University of

Technology, stated that local traffic regulations should be more specific

so it only targets purposeful offenders, (Wang,). Even the police officers

agree to this claim. Zeng Wenliang, a traffic policeman in Kunming, stated

that road cameras can only identify some violations, such as speeding

and running red lights, but we still need to be required to be on duty at

busy crossings, since the system cant detect certain offences such as

drunken driving (Wang). This shows that even the police officers that are

getting their orders from the top think they feel the need of this action.

Therefore, a stricter enforcement is a must need action in China, Beijing.

Another action that ought to be taken in China is having a stricter

regulated fine system. A common counterpoint is that some people think

fines are ineffective compared to points-related penalties for offenders

drivers licences. While this is an understandable concern, a pitfall is that

Beijing motorists can buy and sell points to avoid license suspension.

In China, the fines for running red lights are six points with a fine of 100

RMB (China Updated Traffic Violation Fines from January 1st 2016).

Although 100 RMB might be a hefty fine to some people, for most Beijing

motorists it is not a big deterrent. By contrast, in Finland motorists are

fined in proportion to their individual income (Daley). This method has

proven to be effective, resulting in increased adherence to traffic laws.

Finally, China needs to improve its driver education. Some people

may argue that China already has good education in terms of instruction

of traffic regulations, but demonstrated understanding of theory does not

necessarily reflect good practice. Professor Chen noted that many

schools in China don't pay enough attention to driving instruction, adding

that most drivers begin receiving intensive instruction on traffic

regulations at driver-training schools. This is an indication that China has

put adequate effort into education of traffic regulations, but not driving

instruction in a practical sense. Accordingly, if China puts a little more

effort into it then it will make a big change to Chinas road safety.

In conclusion, road safety is an issue in Beijing that affects

everyone. It can be improved overall through certain actions, such as

stricter enforcement of traffic laws, toughening fines and other penalties,

and putting more effort into practical instruction in the driver education

system. Traffic issues and driving practices must be improved for the

safety of people today and our future generations.

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