"Previously, at 6 PM nationwide, all high-definition surveillance cameras in the city were fully activated. Not wearing a seatbelt, smoking, or making phone calls by the front passenger were all considered violations. A fine of 50 yuan was given if the front passenger didn't wear a seatbelt, 200 yuan for running a yellow light, and 100 yuan for overstepping parking lines." Yesterday, such information appeared on many websites and forums in Chengdu. After being forwarded via Weibo, it caused a large number of netizens to comment heatedly.
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● According to statistics from the traffic management department of Chengdu, since June this year, no driver has been photographed and fined because the passenger in the front seat did not wear a seatbelt or was smoking.
The reporter then investigated the authenticity of this information. By searching online with keywords like "6 PM" and "high-definition camera," nearly one million related pieces of information could be found. The news about cameras being used for capturing traffic violations was not limited to the Chengdu area; similar rumors also appeared in cities like Nanjing, Dalian, Ningbo, and Wenzhou.
"If you carefully examine the content of this message, you can find many inconsistencies," said the police officer. Currently, there are two types of electronic eyes in Chengdu: one uses pressure sensing technology to capture red-light running and lane changes at intersections, while the other is newly added equipment for photographing illegal U-turns on dedicated roads and double solid lines. "There is no device specifically for capturing violations inside the vehicle."
Rumors About Traffic Police Using High-Definition Cameras
Similar Rumors Appear Nationwide, Traffic Management Departments Clear Them Up
In response to this, Zhang, a student, had some doubts: "Chengdu just added 450 sets of electronic eyes, and now they want to install high-definition cameras?"
"We have never released such information," said the traffic police officer. If Chengdu needs to install new electronic eye devices or adjust the functions of existing ones, relevant content and specific locations would be announced to the public in advance.
At 3:56 PM yesterday, the official Weibo account of the Wenzhou Public Security Bureau Traffic Police Brigade, "Wenzhou Traffic Police," posted a message stating that the so-called "high-definition camera captures traffic violations" information released by a certain netizen had been verified by the Wenzhou Public Security Bureau Traffic Police Brigade as "false information. Please pay attention to distinguish, netizens." Meanwhile, traffic management departments in some cities across the country began to clear up this information one after another.
Police reminded that traffic police will strictly check traffic violations such as drivers not wearing seat belts, smoking, or making phone calls while driving, and impose penalties according to relevant provisions of the law on-site.
Camera Captures In-Car Violations? Netizens Spread the Word
● Traffic police officers said that if Chengdu needs to install new electronic eye devices or adjust the functions, relevant content and specific locations would be announced to the citizens in advance.
Chengdu Traffic Management Department: "We Have Never Released Such Information"
Afterwards, through investigation by reporters from Huaxi Metropolis Daily, it was discovered that not only in Chengdu, but also in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Dalian across the country, similar news has appeared. Except for differences in time and location, even the punctuation marks in the original text were surprisingly consistent.
What was peculiar was that all the news claimed that the cameras would begin operation at "6 PM tonight." From the 14th to yesterday, updated versions of the information kept appearing, but none of them specified an exact date or indicated the source of the information.
"As of now, Chengdu has not activated the so-called high-definition cameras specifically for capturing traffic violations inside vehicles," confirmed the reporter from Chengdu Traffic Management Bureau yesterday afternoon. This news turned out to be a miscommunication. Regarding traffic violations such as not wearing seat belts or smoking while driving, the traffic management department will impose penalties according to the law through on-site enforcement.
According to statistics from the Chengdu Traffic Management Department, since June this year, no driver has been photographed and fined because the passenger in the front seat did not wear a seat belt or was smoking. Yesterday afternoon, the reporter confirmed from the Chengdu Traffic Management Bureau that the news was not true, dispelling misunderstandings among citizens and netizens.
On local Chengdu websites and forums such as Huaxi Metropolis Network, netizens continuously posted messages about high-definition cameras capturing traffic violations, sparking heated discussions among netizens. At the same time, on Weibo, the message was widely forwarded, including by verified Weibo users.
Yesterday morning, a resident of Chengdu, Mr. Zhang, received a text message from a friend. The text message stated that starting at 6 AM yesterday, Chengdu would activate high-definition cameras to capture traffic violations such as not wearing seat belts or smoking. Very soon, several QQ groups and Weibo groups that Mr. Zhang participated in also posted similar information.
"Spread the word!! Everyone on the road, please pay attention to your behavior!!" said netizen "Lin QinKisHitA." Some netizens also claimed that the information was definitely false because they had already received fines.