Campaign to drive home the message of pedestrian safety

THE BEIJING GOVERNMENT has organized a media campaign in which it is encouraging people to shoot small video clips showing vehicles stopping at crossings to allow pedestrians to cross the road. These videos of courteous drivers will then be broadcast online and on TV. Rednet.com comments:

According to the traffic rules, vehicles can turn right at crossroads even if the lights are on red. As a result, it is possible for a car to be turning into the road as a pedestrian is crossing it. In order to solve that problem, the law requires vehicles to stop and let pedestrians go first.

However, that column of the law is not obeyed by many drivers in reality. According to official data, there were about 14,000 accidents involving cars hitting people as they crossed the road at a junction, of which 90 percent were caused by vehicles not stopping and letting pedestrians go first. These accidents caused 3,898 deaths in all.

The Ministry of Public Security launched two campaigns to specially strike against this illegal deed in June. As a long-term measure, many traffic authorities have installed cameras on crossroads that monitor whether a car stops to let pedestrians go first. Drivers failing to do so are warned or fined.

However, it is impossible to install a camera at every crossroad. So people should be encouraged to be courteous drivers.

That is what makes the joint activity of the Beijing traffic authorities and the media especially meaningful. When videos of drivers being courteous to pedestrians at crossroads are broadcast online or on TV, it will hopefully encourage more drivers to follow suit.