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Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China

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TheRoad Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China(Chinese:Trung hoa nhân dân cộng hòa quốc đạo lộ giao thông an toàn pháp) is alawwhich was passed by theStanding Committee of the National People's Congressof thePeople's Republic of Chinaon October 28, 2003, promulgated by Decree No. 8 of the President of the PRCHu Jintao,and took effect on May 1, 2004, on all parts ofmainland China(but not inHong KongandMacauwhich have their own judicial systems.) It is thePeople's Republic of China's first-ever law on roadtraffic safety,and was intended to address an alarmingly hightraffic fatalityrate, which is four or five times greater than other nations.

Background[edit]

The new law has a number of focus points:

  • Under the new law, whenaccidentsoccur betweenpedestriansor non-motorisedvehiclesand motor vehicles, except for the case where the pedestrian or the non-motorised vehicle deliberately causes the incident, the motorist must always bear responsibility. Responsibility for the motorist is reduced if the pedestrian or non-motorised side violatedtraffic laws.
  • The new law enforces avehicle insurancesystem. Insurance on motor vehicles is now compulsory instead of voluntary.
  • It abolished a previous regulation which banned holders ofdriver's licencesof the PRC driving rights onexpresswaysuntil one year after they had held the licence.
  • Expresswayspeed limitswere increased from 110 km/h to 120 km/h.
  • Even harsherpenaltieswere put in place fordrunk drivingand driving by people who did not hold a valid driver's licence, or drove a vehicle without licence plates.
  • Cases where drivers were speeding 50% in excess of the applicablespeed limitwill result in the revocation of thedriver's licence.
  • The penalty forhit-and-runaccidents is permanent revocation of one's driver's licence.
  • The pre-existingpoint systemfor penalties was integrated into the new law.
  • Penalties are now higher, from the formerRMB200 up to RMB 2000. Also, provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions can only enact specific penalties within the given range. Previously, the nationwide maximum penalty was RMB 200, but areas likeBeijingandKunminghad enacted laws mandating penalties in the thousands of RMB.

Beijing's own "implementation procedures" of the new traffic law was passed on October 22, 2004, after being the target of heavy controversy over the responsibilities of vehicle drivers and pedestrians, and a regulation limiting the lanes that can be used by novice drivers. These take effect on January 1, 2005.

According toXinhua News Agency,"police officers are also reluctant to pull over drivers of military vehicles even if the drivers are breaking the law".[1]According to thePeople's Daily,Chinese army and police seized thousands of fake military license plates and IDs.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Military Cracks Down on Fake License Plates".Xinhua.11 April 2008. Archived fromthe originalon April 18, 2008.
  2. ^"Chinese army, police seize thousands of fake military license plates, IDs".People's Daily Online.16 June 2009.

External links[edit]

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