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Pedestrian death sparks loathing of rich drivers

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-13 09:20

Police in Hangzhou have been ordered to crack down on speeding drivers after a pedestrian was killed during a drag race between three luxury sports cars.

Wang Guoping, local Party chief, said: "The city should be able to guarantee safety and peace for its residents. The young man's death on a downtown crossing showed we were not doing this."

He ordered traffic police to take every possible measure to stop speeding drivers and illegally modified vehicles.

It follows the death of 25-year-old Tang Zuo, who was struck by a speeding Mitsubishi sports car driven by a 20-year-old university student surnamed Hu last Thursday.

Tang, who was preparing to marry his girlfriend, flew five meters in the air before hitting the ground.

Hu told police he was racing two other sports cars driven by friends on the downtown highway.

There was public outrage after a photo printed in a local newspaper showed the two friends joking with each other after they arrived at the accident site.

Media reports have highlighted the fact that Hu was from a wealthy family that owned four cars and there has also been much criticism of wealthy young men speeding on Hangzhou streets.

Hu has been detained on suspicion of manslaughter and faces up to three years in jail if convicted. The severity of the punishment depends on how fast he was driving.

Police said Hu was driving at 70 km per hour - 20 km per hour above the signpost limit - however many people have questioned how Tang was thrown five meters in the air by a car traveling at that speed.

Police have requested the local quality supervision center determine the speed of the car.

Meanwhile, many people have written to the municipal government demanding an end to drag racing.

Fang Ting, a psychologist in Zhejiang University, said: "Some young and rich people tend to believe they can handle everything with money, which is a terrible way of thinking. The reaction from the public is a result of the pursuit for public fairness and justice."

Xinhua-China Daily