Li Pengfei is an ordinary traffic police officer in the Dunkou Development Zone, and he is well-known in his jurisdiction for "issuing a lot of tickets". His highest number of violations corrected in one day was 98, and his highest number of violations corrected in one month was 1086, with 18 vehicles impounded.
Li Pengfei is also widely known for being "stubborn": some people call him a "madman" behind his back, saying that he's "a bit crazy", and they warn their friends who drive not to fall into his hands; others know his style, and even if they are severely violating the rules and get stopped by him, calling in favors won't help because he doesn't answer his phone when correcting violations; still others have become friends with him after being educated and penalized by him, but they still dare not violate traffic rules because if they are caught by him, they will still be fined.
With such a large enforcement volume, there has been no shortage of controversy surrounding Li Pengfei, but he hasn't taken it to heart, believing that he behaves properly and sits uprightly. "I enforce the law reasonably and according to evidence, I don't impose penalties arbitrarily, and it doesn't matter if others don't understand me. I am at peace with myself, doing what I should do, which is responsible for traffic order and safety."
The leader of his team said that Li Pengfei has been a traffic police officer for more than four years, with the highest penalty volume in the entire team, but until now, there hasn't been a single complaint about arbitrary penalties, "which is indeed rare."
Yesterday, the reporter went to the Dunkou Development Zone Traffic Team and met this formidable traffic police officer, Li Pengfei.
Li Pengfei is 1.82 meters tall, dark-skinned and muscular. As soon as he speaks, it's standard Northern Mandarin. He doesn't talk much, slightly reserved, with a serious demeanor, very cool.
Li Pengfei, 37 years old, is from Harbin. His father was a military pilot, and under the influence of his family, the principle he most believes in is "without rules, nothing can be accomplished." From a young age, Li Pengfei had two aspirations: to join the army and to become a police officer. Now both dreams have come true, and he has done both brilliantly.
In 2006, Li Pengfei transferred to the Wuhan Traffic Management Bureau and came to the Development Zone Team to become a traffic police officer. Transitioning from a deputy battalion-level officer to an ordinary traffic police officer, Li Pengfei quickly adapted to his new role. Standing guard on the road, he is meticulous, managing affairs for six hours while on duty. Li Pengfei's post is at the Fangcao Road No.1 Foreign School Post, adjacent to two schools and four large communities, with a floating population of around eight to nine hundred thousand people, and many private cars. This is also a must-pass place for the Jingzhu Expressway and the Han-Yi Expressway, with a large number of vehicles passing through here; furthermore, the Dunkou Development Zone is known as the "Chinese Car Capital," with many super-large trucks concentrated in this area, making the local traffic environment very complex.
Li Pengfei told reporters that the density of people and vehicles in the development zone is not high, and many drivers believe they can drive as they please. There are many vehicles running red lights, driving out of lanes, speeding, and overloading, "if left unchecked, chaos will ensue." When these vehicles violate the rules in his post area, especially malicious violations, Li Pengfei absolutely refuses to let them slide.
One day, Li Pengfei stopped a Santana sedan that ran a red light. As soon as he saluted and prepared to point out the driver's illegal behavior, the other party suddenly stepped on the gas and fled. Li Pengfei paused for a moment, then his stubborn temper flared up. He hopped onto his patrol motorcycle and chased after the Santana.
The Santana quickly accelerated, but Li Pengfei's small motorcycle could only go up to 60 kilometers per hour, yet he didn't give it a second thought and insisted on chasing after the car. Finally, near the expressway entrance, he managed to stop the Santana. The driver, upon being caught, helplessly said that it wasn't because the car couldn't run fast enough, but seeing the traffic police persistently chasing behind, he felt guilty and feared something worse might happen, so he stopped the car. In the end, Li Pengfei issued three tickets to the driver: running a red light, evading penalty for violation, and speeding. Upon reflection afterward, Li Pengfei himself felt a little scared.
Drivers who are penalized by traffic police generally feel unhappy, and encountering a traffic police officer like Li Pengfei who is "impenetrable," some drivers have even resorted to extreme actions.
On the morning of May 27, 2009, around 9 o'clock, a young woman surnamed Liu was driving a black Honda Civic and crossed the double yellow line to overtake another vehicle on Dongfeng Avenue at Fangcao Second Road, almost colliding with a nearby car. Li Pengfei immediately stopped her and issued a ticket of "deduct 3 points, fine 200 yuan." The woman pleaded for leniency but failed and had to leave.
An hour later, Miss Liu drove back and asked the traffic police to cancel the penalty and issue a "lighter" ticket. Li Pengfei refused and repeatedly explained the traffic laws to her, reminding her that "crossing lines to overtake is too dangerous, and if there's a collision, it's not just a matter of penalties." Miss Liu angrily started her car and drove straight towards the traffic police. Li Pengfei was startled and jumped into the roadside flower bed. The female driver got out of the car and grabbed Li Pengfei's police bag, trying to snatch the ticket. In the end, the female driver was detained for seven days for obstructing law enforcement.
According to statistics from the Dunkou Development Zone Traffic Team, in 2009 alone, the number of drivers penalized at his enforcement booth was no less than 6,000 people, averaging nearly 30 people per day, excluding those who were educated and released. In August last year, Li Pengfei set a record by issuing 1086 tickets, impounding 18 vehicles, and almost one-third of the tickets issued by the entire team were from him. Among the penalized vehicles were sedans, buses, and trucks, mostly committing offenses such as running red lights, overloading, and exceeding height limits.
Moreover, in the past three years, he has maintained a record of zero complaints. In August this year, Li Pengfei ranked first in all performance evaluations of the Dunkou Development Zone Team. Li Pengfei's approach has also been recognized by his superiors, who believe he successfully achieved the unification of "legal effect" and "social effect."
Li Pengfei:
Seeing a violation and not dealing with it
I think is dereliction of duty
Reporter: You enforce the law so strictly, causing a lot of controversy and often getting scolded. Do you think it's worth it?
Li: I'm not punishing for the sake of punishment, but I feel that if someone makes a mistake, it's my responsibility to correct it, whoever it may be. As the saying goes, "Without rules, nothing can be accomplished," I just strictly follow the rules. Since I've become a traffic police officer, an enforcement official, standardized enforcement is the most basic requirement. Seeing violations and not handling them, I think is dereliction of duty.
Reporter: Many drivers feel that although they violated traffic rules, it wasn't serious, such as not wearing seat belts or going straight from the right-turn lane. A warning and education would suffice, no need for penalties. How do you handle it?
Li: I still adhere to the law as the guideline. For violations that don't qualify for educational release, I won't let them go easily. Hubei Province has specific regulations stating that there are 9 minor traffic violations involving motor vehicles that can be exempt from penalties, such as not being penalized if a vehicle stops after crossing the line at an intersection when encountering a stop signal. There are also 3 provisions related to motor vehicle drivers, such as not penalizing the passenger in the front seat for not wearing a seat belt if warned and corrected, but penalizing the driver if they aren't using a seat belt.
For newly-licensed drivers who haven't committed serious violations, and for drivers who commit minor or first-time violations, I usually educate them and let them go.
Reporter: Currently, traffic in Wuhan is generally congested, and drivers think that traffic police should focus mainly on clearing congestion and ensuring smooth traffic flow, but it seems you devote most of your energy to imposing penalties. Why is that?
Li: While I am on duty, I also direct traffic, but during off-peak hours, I usually take the patrol position, focusing on correcting violations, which complies with work regulations. Only by strictly correcting illegal behaviors can the dignity of the law be demonstrated, protecting public interests and the interests of the people.