Xingtai report (reporter Zhang Huiwu) - At about 9 p.m. on the evening of the 23rd, a Santana sedan traveling west from east to the tunnel bridge on Zhongxing West Street in Xingtai City directly collided with the isolation barrier in the middle of the road, causing varying degrees of damage to road traffic facilities. After the accident, the driver fled the scene by abandoning his vehicle. According to the Xingtai police who arrived later, the perpetrator was the director of the Nanshimen Tax Branch of the Guotax Bureau of Xingtai County, and it was confirmed that he had driven a public vehicle under the influence of alcohol (this had been reported by our newspaper). After this incident was reported by our newspaper, it caused a strong reaction in society. On the 26th, our reporter learned from the Guotax Department of Xingtai County that the director of the Nanshimen Tax Branch of the Guotax Bureau of Xingtai County involved in the accident had been suspended for investigation.
On the morning of the 26th, the Director of the Guotax Bureau of Xingtai County told reporters that the Guotax Bureau of Xingtai County would absolutely not cover up or protect anyone in relation to this matter, and would actively cooperate with relevant departments in their investigations. The director of the branch involved in the accident had been suspended for investigation and had already gone to the public security department for investigation. Once the public security department makes a conclusion, further handling will be carried out according to relevant regulations. Meanwhile, the tax department will seriously reflect on the shortcomings in its work, further improve various administrative management systems, enhance and improve internal management of official vehicles, and strictly prevent similar incidents from happening again.
In the afternoon of the 26th, our reporter learned from the Xingtai police that in the afternoon of the same day, the director involved in the accident had surrendered to the public security authorities, and the specific case details were still under investigation. Regarding the matter of damaged police equipment, the parties concerned were actively negotiating compensation issues with the Xingtai SWAT team.
However, in the eyes of the public, it is possible that the director involved in the accident might avoid relevant drunk driving laws. "For the police to hold someone accountable for 'dangerous driving', they first need to confirm whether the person was driving under the influence of intoxication. Since the director involved in the accident only turned himself in to the public security authorities three days later, it poses a challenge for the police to determine whether he was driving under the influence."
An industry lawyer told reporters that for crimes such as drunk driving, obtaining crucial evidence like the alcohol content in the driver's body on the spot is extremely important. For those who flee the scene by abandoning their vehicle during police checks, if there are other witnesses who can prove or the police can confirm that they had consumed alcohol, they should be dealt with more severely.