Editor's Note

According to the revised Regulation for Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses introduced by the Ministry of Public Security, motor vehicle drivers will face heavier penalties if violating traffic laws. The new regulation will take effect on January 1, 2013. More

Detailed Regulations

Failure to yield to school buses will result in six penalty points.

Interpretation: A series of fatal school bus accidents have happened since October 2011, and the management on school bus needs to be regulated.China's Regulation on School Bus Safety Management was published and went into effect on April 5, 2012.

Drug users cannot apply for a driver license within three years of undergoing drug rehabilitation.

Interpretation: The number of traffic accidents caused by drivers while under the influence of narcotics and uncontrolled substances has increased rapidly in recent years, many resulting in injuries and deaths, according to the Public Security Ministry. "Zero tolerance" policies against drug driving are also widely adopted in many other countries.

Beginning in 2013, penalty points for failing to stop at a red light will be increased from three to six.

Interpretation: Running red lights is a serious traffic violation that poses a great potential threat to pedestrians and other vehicles.

Failure to display license plates correctly results in 12 penalty points.

Interpretation: This new regulation aims to reduce hit-and-run accidents, according to  Beijing traffic police.

Drivers convicted of drunk driving are forbidden to apply for driver licenses for large and medium-sized vehicles.

Interpretation:According to the Public Security Ministry, drivers of large and medium-sized vehicles take on a major responsibility as they mostly drive commercial vehicles. In recent years, the rate of traffic accidents involving large and medium-sized vehicles has remained high. According to statistics from 2009 to 2011, over 70 percent of accidents and deaths were caused by large and medium-sized vehicles in major traffic accidents.

Student drivers who have less than one year driving experience will be forbidden from driving on highways unless they are in the company of another driver who has more than three years driving experience.

Source: Beijing Times

Background

Dangerous roads claimed the lives of nearly 800 people in China during the eight-day holiday. Statistics with China's Ministry of Public Security showed 794 people were killed and more than 2,400 others injured in road accidents during the Sept. 30 to Oct. 7 travel rush.

Official statistics showed 62,387 people died in road accidents last year in China, or 170 each day on average.

Source: Xinhua

Viewpoints

"The regulations raise the cost of traffic rule violations. The regulation on school buses will help protect the vulnerable group", ------Li Hongchang, an associate professor with the School of Economics and Management at Beijing Jiaotong University

"The biggest problem lies in exam-oriented training, in which learners focus on memorizing basic knowledge but lack more practice. They do not know how to deal with emergencies properly when driving on roads, nor keep in mind traffic rules and safety awareness", ------Zhou Donglin, a drivers training school coach in Central China's Hunan Province, blamed road accidents on poor training.

"It is important to improve the training system and enhance the qualities of drivers," ------said Wu Yong, another driver coach in Hunan.

Weibo comments

@石述思: If military or government vehicles violate these traffic regulations, do traffic police dare to write them tickets?

@菜虫1999: I support these changes. The new regulations will improve safety for pedestrians.

@一万年如斯: Those who dare to run red lights are not afraid of getting caught. I think the new regulations will not be effective and the only people that will get hurt are unwary pedestrians crossing the street.

Related Reports

New regulations to protect detainees, state assets
Motorized assault and battery
Insurers facing bigger payouts
Highway bus-truck crash kills 36 in NW China