A new traffic regulation that penalizes drivers for running yellow lights has stirred up controversy since it took effect on January 1, 2013. Under the new regulation, the strictest to date in China, drivers running a yellow traffic light will have six points deducted from the 12 points allocated to their driver's licenses. Previously, drivers were docked only three points for driving through red light.  

Traffic authorities reiterated that yellow lights are there to remind drivers to reduce speed when approaching an intersection. If a car is partly over the stop line when the light changes from green to yellow, it is permitted to cross the intersection. But cars that have not reached the stop line are prohibited from driving through a yellow light. On January 7, in response to rising public questioning of its validity, the authorities said currently they would not punish yellow light jumpers but help to correct the violation.

Under current traffic regulations, drivers who lose all 12 allocated license points are required to attend a seven-day course of on traffic rules and pass a written exam before they can drive again.

Supporters say harsh punishment of yellow light runners will correct bad driving habits and protect the public's safety. However, others maintain that the rule may result in accidents like rear-end collisions and that the punishment lacks legal grounds as there are no explicit provisions for it in the law.

Pro

Zhou Chengran

Ph.D - law

Harsh punishment for running yellow lights shows that we value the safety of lives over smooth traffic flow. According to traffic regulations, drivers at yellow lights have a limited right to pass through the intersection, while green lights permit vehicles at the nearby side of the crossing to go. In China, a country that is quickly adopting a car culture, drivers should develop the habit of reducing speed ahead of time when approaching intersections and giving way to pedestrians.

In our current society with such diversified interests, it is impossible for a new policy to satisfy everyone. Disagreements sometimes do not arise from what is "right or wrong," but from what is more important. In this case, people's safety is obviously what should be put first. Running yellow lights makes pedestrians feel unsafe, and even threatens lives. Harsh punishment for such behavior should be encouraged and carried out. CA

Con

Jia Lijun

Lawyer

Different traffic light colors have their respective functions: green allows traffic to proceed in the direction shown, red signals the driver to stop and yellow is a caution that the signal is in the process of change. If the penalty for running a yellow light is the same as that for a red light, why is it necessary to have yellow lights? It is a kind of lax law enforcement if yellow light runner are penalized the same as those who run red lights.

Citizens' behaviors that are not explicitly forbidden by the law should not be punished. It is one of the basic principles of China's Law on Administrative Penalties. Administrative penalties are invalid if they are not imposed in accordance with the law. In this case, China's traffic laws neither say running a yellow light is illegal nor set punishment criteria for such behavior. Therefore, as an administrative penalty, deducting allocated points from drivers' licenses for running yellow lights lacks the legal grounds.