Harsh punishment stops drunk driving

Modern Express
August 17, 2009

The Ministry of Public Security's latest campaign intended to reduce the high rate of drunk driving has apparently worked: Today's newspapers are reporting on how drunk drivers have been stopped and punished and saying that the new policy has succeeded in changing people's driving habits.

In Guangzhou, on the night of August 15 alone, 101 offenders, including 85 for driving after drinking and 16 for drunk driving, were caught by the police. According to the New Express, this is almost equivalent to the total number for the month of May.

The reporter also noticed that the number of cars in parking lots of local restaurants had decreased steeply after the enactment of the Ministry of Public Security's "harsher punishment order". A restaurant employee told the New Express that the number of the cars were about one third of the usual number. Many customers have switched to taxis instead of driving themselves.

This has opened up a business opportunity too. Taking advantage of the perfect timing, some car rentals in Guangzhou has extended their services to driver renting.

Metropolis Express
August 17, 2009

In Hangzhou, according to a local daily newspaper Metropolis Express, a restaurant which has been offering a driving service to their customers, has found itself understaffed as there was a sudden burst of need after the policy was adopted. As the newspaper stated in its top headline: "Even the head chef was sent to drive".

On August 15, the Public Security Ministry started the nationwide campaign of "harsh punishment for driving after drinking behavior and preventing serious traffic accidents".

Drivers who are found to have been drinking will have their driver's license suspended for three months.

Drunk drivers will receive 15 days in jail and have their driver's license suspended for six months.

Drivers who have been convicted of drunk driving twice in a year will have their license annulled, and will not be allowed to apply again for two years.

According to the vice minister of the Public Security Ministry Liu Jinguo, when it comes to the drinking driving issue, "no matter who they are, or what kind of excuses they have, they will be punished equally and severely. There will be no exception, no pardon. Drunk driving will become a high voltage power line that nobody dares to touch."

Yesterday, a traffic policeman told Metropolis Daily, that the Xiangzhang Yayuan restaurant which offers customers a drive home service had ran out of staff. Even the head chef was dispatched for driving.

Since the Xiangzhang Yayuan is far away from the downtown area, most of its customers drive here. Its parking lot has a capacity of about eighty vehicles.

The police usually set up check points on the route from the restaurant to downtown Hangzhou, so the restaurant has been offering their customers the driving service for eight years. It used to be that the waiters asked the customers whether they needed a driver, but recently, there are more and more customers starting to ask whether they can get one even starting their meals.