Police to put squeeze on reckless delivery drivers

Punishment coming to those who violate traffic rules, ministry says

Chinese police will seriously punish delivery drivers for violation of traffic rules, as the sector's boom in recent years has led to many accidents blamed on their risky behavior, the Ministry of Public Security said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the ministry's traffic management bureau held a video conference with representatives of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing. It was decided that the management of electric bicycles involving express or food delivery drivers would be intensified.

According to the ministry, police will go after delivery drivers who run red lights, go in the wrong direction or occupy a motorway and will blacklist those responsible for traffic accidents or who repeatedly violate traffic rules.

"Those who break the rules repeatedly will be banned from working in the sector," the ministry said.

Recent years have seen rapid development in the express delivery and takeout industries across the country. There are currently more than 20,000 delivery companies nationwide. They provide services to more than 200 million people daily.

But some delivery companies neglect traffic safety, and an increase in illegal behaviors involving delivery drivers poses a serious threat to traffic order and safety, the ministry said.

Traffic management departments at all levels will establish mechanisms with delivery industry associations or enterprises to punish violators in a timely manner and keep their violations on file. The departments will provide ongoing supervision and help create an assessment system for the delivery drivers, including reasonable workload and distribution rules.

On Monday, the ministry's traffic management bureau and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing jointly issued a proposal for delivery enterprises that called on the drivers to be cautious, treat their lives as precious, actively abide by the traffic rules and maintain good order on the road.

"The delivery drivers should have safe and civilized travel. They should wear helmets and refrain from making phone calls or looking at WeChat while driving. They should follow the traffic rules and park their electric bicycles in designated parking spaces," the written proposal said.

According to the ministry, the delivery companies will be required to use electric bicycles that are in line with national standards and should tighten the management of drivers to curb traffic accidents.

The federation said it will fully perform its duty in promoting unified standards for the express or logistics companies in hiring and assessing drivers and creating a credit management system for them.

"We will expose the express or logistics companies that neglect their duty and provide loose management, track their records and report cases to the authorities for punishment," the federation wrote.