Tough rule ensures traffic safety

Zeng said cameras have been installed on many roads in Kunming, but traffic violations remain common in the city and police are still sent out to direct traffic.

They sometimes face obstacles to enforcing traffic regulations and even threats from offenders, he said.

"We normally don't issue fines for minor violations," Zeng said. "But offenders can sometimes be very aggressive."

Ma Huikun, another traffic policeman in Kunming, said the city's transport authority has gone to TV stations, newspapers and the Internet in the past several months to ensure the public is aware of the regulation. Even so, he expects to see the number of violations increase quickly in the first several months after the stricter regulation takes effect.

"Old habits don't die easily", he said.

"I think we will face some difficulties in enforcing the regulations."

Rather than stricter punishments, Chen called for instruction as the best way to improve driving behavior.

"Many schools in China don't pay enough attention to driving instruction," she said. "Most drivers actually begin to receive intensive instruction on traffic regulations at driver-training schools, and that's too late."

Wang Limei, deputy director of the China Road Transport Association, also said instruction offers the best means of battling traffic violations.

"Rather than punitive measures, I think we should adopt something that's more flexible," she said. "For example, those with minor violations should be able to be cleared of fines so long as they agree to undergo a specific period of training or instruction."

Not only cars

Compared with drivers, pedestrians are far more likely to cross roads in disregard of red lights.

In October, a Web user went to Sina Weibo, a popular micro-blogging service, to post photos of large groups of pedestrians crossing roads while red lights were showing. Alongside the images, he posted a comment about the "Chinese style of crossing the road", implying that people are perfectly comfortable disobeying traffic regulations so long as they do so in large groups.

The post prompted much discussion on the Internet.

Various experts said many Chinese people tend to blindly follow others' lead and noted traditional beliefs hold that the law will not punish a large group, even if it is in the wrong.

Chen from the Beijing University of Technology said ignoring traffic rules not only puts pedestrians and other non-motorists at risk but also contributes to traffic congestion.