In the traffic accident that killed seven people and left one seriously injured in Beijing last week, some vehicles played an important part in the death of one of the victims by blocking the emergency lane and delaying the arrival of an ambulance.

Last Tuesday, a heavy-duty truck on Beijing's Fifth Ring Road veered drastically to avoid bumping into a car that had suddenly slowed down in front. So violent was the sudden turn that the truck broke through the road divider and ended up on a lane on the opposite side of the road, crashed into three cars, killed six people and injured two.

The accident cut off the traffic on the northbound lanes, leaving cars lined up for several kilometers. But some impatient drivers took to the emergency lane to get past the accident spot and drive away to their destinations. In the process, these vehicles blocked the way of the approaching ambulances and delayed the transportation of the injured to hospital. One of the injured died soon after reaching hospital.

The motorists' behavior is most outrageous. They were not ignorant of the consequence of blocking the emergency lane but they still did so. They were selfish and heartless! To say that they were accessory to the killing of the injured would not be an exaggeration.

Such ugly behaviors can be seen everywhere on the roads. Whenever there is a traffic jam, one can see motorists trying to squeeze their way ahead by driving through the emergency or the bicycle lane, or a zebra belt. In most cases, such illegal maneuverings only result in a meaningless advance of a few dozen meters for the selfish motorist. But such an action could prove costly - a life could be lost because of the life-saving passage being blocked.

Such people, who have no scruples and who can sacrifice other people's lives for personal interest, should be punished severely.

Unfortunately, there seems to be little action from the road authorities to curb such behaviors. Traffic police might have adopted some measures but the control must have been too weak to be effective, for there are still many drivers willing and daring to drive illegally through emergency lanes.

Besides the weak management of the traffic authorities, lenient punishment is the other major reason why violation of traffic rules is so rampant. The fine for driving on an emergency lane is 200 yuan ($28) in China. That sum is not heavy enough to deter motorists from risking it, for the chance of being caught is slim.

To compare the traffic management between China and other countries, I searched for information on the Internet and found that the penalty for driving in an emergency lane in certain Western countries is not significantly heavier than that in China.

What is different, however, is that traffic management in Western countries is more mature and their citizens have a stronger sense of respect for the law. Deliberate violation of traffic laws is far less rampant.

In China, it has been only a few years since people began owning cars. Road ethics is far from being common sense among the increasing number of motorists. And so rapid has been the increase in the number of vehicles and so crowded are the roads in Chinese cities that existing number of traffic policemen are far from enough to stop all traffic violations. Hence, the chance of violators being caught is slim. In other words, the cost of violating traffic laws is low. That is why so many people dare to run the risk.

Therefore, drastically raising the fine for traffic violations is not without reason. And it definitely will work. Just imagine a penalty of 2,000 yuan for driving on an emergency lane.

E-mail: liushinan@chinadaily.com.cn

About the author:

劉式南 高級編輯。1968年畢業于武漢華中師范學院（現華中師范大學）英文系。1982年畢業于北京體育學院（現北京體育大學）研究生院體育情報專業。1982年進入中國日報社，先后擔任體育記者、時政記者、國際新聞編輯、要聞版責任編輯、發稿部主任、《上海英文星報》總編輯、《中國商業周刊》總編輯等職。現任《中國日報》總編輯助理及專欄作家。1997年獲國務院“特殊貢獻專家政府津貼”。2000年被中華全國新聞工作者協會授予“全國百佳新聞工作者”稱號。2006年獲中國新聞獎二等獎（編輯）。

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