India can Learn Lesson from China's New Traffic Penalties

For traffic violations, China's decision to impose harsher penalties may not be welcome by its drivers, but a lesson or two can be picked up by other countries such as India. In India vehicular movement is equally chaotic and dangerous.

The revised rules in China took effect nationwide at the start of the new year.

They include heavier penalties for drunken driving, talking on the phone while driving, as well as for running red and yellow lights.

Each violation incurs the deduction of points from a driver's license, and the deduction of 12 points results in the suspension of a driver's license.

To get it back, the driver must undergo a seven-day class of traffic rules and take a test, CNN reports.

Unlike in some cities, Beijing has not installed traffic lights with numerical countdowns before they change, making it difficult for drivers to slow down or stop in time.

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Beijing's traffic management bureau says the new regulations will be carried out strictly, even if countdown screens are not installed.

An official of China's Public Security Ministry's traffic control bureau said road accidents in five major cities-Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Jinan-have decreased by nine percent to 30 percent since the new rules took effect.

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Source-ANI