A good move to make roads safer

Small car owners in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, can be exempted from paying sub-500 yuan ($81.38) fines if they agree to not drive their vehicles for a number of consecutive days. The new regulation is a good example of how to teach people good traffic behavior, says an article in Guangzhou Daily. Excerpts:

Many people would find the idea of not driving their cars if they are exempted from paying fines for violating traffic rules quite tempting. So, it is expected that there will be fewer cars on the roads once the new rule comes into effect.

"Rewards" are sometimes more effective than fines in changing people's behavior. In some other countries, violations of traffic rules invite not only fines but also other forms of punishment. For instance, offenders could be ordered to do certain hours of social work under police supervision. Such time-consuming and laborious punishments are better than fines to prevent people from violating traffic rules again.

In most Chinese cities, traffic rule violators are only made to pay fines. But now Shenzhen's new rule is set to become a good example of how minor infraction could change drivers' behaviors. After all, the ultimate purpose of imposing fines is not to increase government revenue but to make our roads safer.