Beijing, reported by the Convenient Traffic Violation Inquiry Network: On the Fifth Ring Road, "screening" large trucks, imposing heavy penalties instead of lenient ones, and detaining those who do not follow instructions... The Beijing police are using an iron-fisted approach in an attempt to reduce the frequent occurrence of major traffic accidents in the city.
At 8:00 AM on August 3rd, a traffic accident occurred on the western section of the Fifth Ring Road in Beijing. A large truck collided with two smaller trucks consecutively, resulting in one death and two injuries. This was another traffic accident following the major crash on July 28th on the eastern section of the Fifth Ring Road that left seven dead and one injured, and the collision on August 2nd on the western section of the Fifth Ring Road that caused one death and two injuries.
In response to the major accident on July 28th, Beijing has recently launched a special operation to rectify large trucks, strengthening the traffic order management on the Fifth Ring Road. One of the most important measures is the strict control of various illegal acts by trucks and the legal use of compulsory measures, increasing law enforcement efforts in detention, temporary confiscation, and administrative detention.
According to the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, this special operation to rectify large trucks has changed the situation where "a single penalty ticket suffices for the entire day." Drivers of large trucks who were penalized on the same day will have their original tickets "invalidated" if they re-enter the Fifth Ring Road, leading to further penalties.
It is understood that the Fifth Ring Road was originally designed as a highway. After tolls were abolished in 2004, its nature effectively became an urban expressway ring road, with a significant increase in traffic volume, highlighting potential hazards and frequent accidents. Among the eleven accidents this year where three or more people died at once, two occurred on the main road of the Fifth Ring Road, leaving ten dead.
According to regulations, trucks over eight tons are prohibited from entering the main road inside the Fifth Ring Road from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. According to traffic police on duty, fewer large trucks enter the restricted areas during the day, but after 8:00 PM, some begin to "stir."
Some through trucks bypass highways to avoid paying toll fees and instead enter the Fifth Ring Road. During law enforcement, these drivers claimed ignorance of the restrictions or admitted to taking chances, saying, "If caught, we accept the penalty; if not, we save money on highway tolls."
According to media reports from the Convenient Traffic Violation Inquiry Network, some drivers who "trespass into restricted zones" believe that even if they are discovered and penalized while driving on the Fifth Ring Road, the loss is only 100 yuan, whereas other highways may charge bridge tolls up to 200 yuan. Moreover, as long as they hold a 100-yuan fine ticket, they can avoid further penalties when encountering traffic police again.
From this perspective, previously violating entry onto the Fifth Ring Road not only had a "low cost of violation" but also allowed them to "save" 100 yuan. No wonder many large truck drivers take chances, risking "causing trouble" to "trespass into restricted zones."
In addition to economic penalties for large trucks that violate the time restrictions and enter the Fifth Ring Road, there has been an increase in enforcement efforts including detention, temporary confiscation, and administrative detention. On August 1st, the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau issued its first criminal detention fine, with driver Wang being detained for fifteen days, fined 1800 yuan, and having twelve points deducted. In just two days, on August 1st and 2nd, the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau legally administratively detained four people.
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