Pedestrians obey laws or pay up By Wang Zhenghua (China Daily) Updated: 2004-05-11 08:55
Pedestrians in Southwest China's Sichuan Province have some serious thinking
to do before crossing roads on a red light at crosswalks. With a new regulation
put in place by Sichuan traffic authorities this month, pedestrians face fines
of up to 20 yuan (US$2.4), or four times the previous amount.
Many pedestrians
and bike riders fail to obey the new road traffic safety law that entered
into force May 1. This photo shows pedestrians cross the street when the
red light is on. [newsphoto]
In keeping with the
Law on Road Traffic Safety that took effect around the country this month, the
new regulation put forward by the Sichuan Traffic Police General Brigade
specifies a dozen violations that affect pedestrians.
Among them are crossing roads without using designated crosswalks, overpasses
or underpasses, or other facilities specifically designed for pedestrians;
wearing roller skates or using skateboards on roads; and getting in the way of
on-duty police cars, fire engines, ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
Meanwhile, the new regulation details a minimum fine of five yuan (60 US
cents) for the 12 violations.
"Our local regulation totally abides by the Law on Road Traffic Safety," a
general brigade official told China Daily in a telephone interview on Sunday,
adding that they had adopted a relatively lenient systems so far for
pedestrians.
The Law on Road Traffic Safety is believed to give more priority to
pedestrians.
It states that if there is a car accident involving a pedestrian or
non-motorized vehicle, the driver of the car is responsible.
Motorists' responsibilities can be alleviated only if the accident was
clearly caused by the pedestrian or non-motorized vehicle or the pedestrian
violated the law and the driver had taken necessary measures but still could not
avoid hitting the person.
While the regulation mentions pedestrians' responsibilities, it is still
trying to protect them, since they are the most vulnerable road users, said
sources.
Before, motorists were totally free from responsibility if the motor vehicle
had not violated traffic rules, in line with local regulations in cities, such
as Shanghai and Shenzhen.
First driver permanantly banned from
driving
China's new road safety law came into effect in
May. And on Monday, the first driver in Beijing received probably the most
strict punishment under the new law.
The Beijing driver, surnamed Li, ran away after his car hit a passerby on May
3. After the hit and run, the victim died, and Li was arrested 15 hours later.
According to the new law, drivers who are guilty of hit and run accidents
will be banned from driving permanently.
After a lot of debate among experts and the public, the ruling was delivered.
"He will be banned from driving all the rest of his life. Before the new road
safety law came out, he would only be deprived off his driving license."
After hearing the ruling, Li expressed nothing but his deep regrets.
"I didn't know what I was doing at that time. My mind just went blank. But I
never expected I would receive such severe punishment."
Nationwide several other drivers will receive the same
punishment for hit and run accidents.
