Drunk drivers in China will face revocation of their driver's licenses, according to an amendment to the Road Traffic Safety Law that China's top legislature approved on Friday.
Following the revocation, they will have to wait five years to recover their licenses under the amendment, which will take effect starting May 1 this year.
The amendment also permanently revokes the driver's license of anyone who drives after drinking alcohol and causes an accident serious enough to constitute a crime.
Those who drive after drinking alcohol but are not drunk will face a six-month suspension of their driver's license and a fine of 1,000 yuan (around 153 U.S. dollars) to 2,000 yuan.
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, approved the amendment after a vote by legislators during a three-day bimonthly session that concluded on Friday.
According to China's current standard, drivers who have at least 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood are considered drunk.
China's earlier law imposed a license suspension of three to six months for drunk drivers.
Hailing the amendment that features harsher penalties for drunk driving, Huang Jingping, a law professor with Renmin University of China, said that it demonstrates China's resolution to better protect people's lives and property through an intensified crackdown on drunk driving.
In recent years, fatal car accidents in big cities such as Chengdu, Nanjing and Hangzhou have triggered heated public outcry and calls for stricter penalties for drunk driving.
Official statistics indicate that China's authorities handled 631,000 cases of driving after drinking alcohol in 2010. Among them, 87,000 cases qualified as drunk driving.
Chinese authorities prosecuted some 575,000 and 722,000 cases of driving after drinking alcohol in 2008 and 2009, respectively.
Also, according to the amendment, those who drive with false vehicle plates and driving licenses will face up to 15 days of jail time, plus a fine of 2,000 to 5,000 yuan.
Currently, such drivers face a fine of 200 to 2,000 yuan.
Further, those who drive a vehicle with a plate that belongs to another vehicle would face a fine of 2,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan under the amendment, higher than the current fine of 200 to 2,000 yuan.
A senior traffic management official with China's Ministry of Public Security told Xinhua that the amendment would markedly increase the penalties for law violators and make it harder for them to avoid punishment.
Officials have urged local traffic management authorities to improve their alcohol detection procedures and equipment and fully review the condition of traffic monitoring devices prior to the implementation of the amendment, the unnamed official said.
Authorities will make greater road control efforts to prevent drivers who drive after drinking alcohol from leaving the scene, according to the official.
Source: Xinhua Special Coverage - BRICS Leaders' Meeting 2011
- Focus On China
Major headlines
Editor's Pick
Most Popular
Hot Forum Dicussion
