Bad traffic result of wrong attitudes

There has been a lot of discussion and news regarding both traffic congestion and accidents in China recently. It is my observation that these problems are largely the result of two errors and two attitudes.

The errors are a failure to obey traffic control devices and a failure to observe the rules of right of way.

The failure to observe traffic control devices is seen in the blatant ignoring, by the drivers of both private cars and government plated vehicles, of traffic control devices such as lights. It is also seen in the frequent, to the point of being common, practice of driving on the wrong side of the street and unsafe passing. This practice, without doubt, adds to congestion as those who choose to violate the law interfere with the design and plan for smooth traffic movement.

The failure to observe the rules of right of way is frequently the cause of accidents at intersections, lane junctions, and road entrances. This also adds to congestion as all traffic must react to the behavior of those who choose to violate traffic laws rather than flowing in a smooth and harmonious manner.

The attitudes are, clearly, selfishness and privilege. Individual drivers often drive as if they believe that their personal desires are more important than the needs of a harmonious society. They then choose to break the law in order to serve their personal desires; often these desires are nothing more than the desire to arrive at some destination slightly sooner.

The culture of privilege leads to two problems. These stem from the assumption that a person driving a car is more important. The first is the attitude of the driver, the idea that once they have a car they are important and must demonstrate it by brazenly ignoring both the law and the demands of public safety. The second is the relative lack of willingness by the police to enforce the law with an even hand.

The solution is within grasp and can start with two steps. The first is the rigorous enforcement of traffic laws without regard for status and station. I would call upon the Chinese people to look at the California Highway Patrol as a model of a provincial (statewide) traffic enforcement division that has managed to operate with little taint of corruption and local demands for privileged treatment.

The second solution lies in recognizing that the decision to operate a motor vehicle in a way that is contrary to the law is the decision to commit a crime. If a driver injures a person while committing a crime, he or she should be treated as a criminal.

Certainly some traffic accidents are just that, accidents. However, most are not accidents and should not be called accidents. They are the predictable outcome of the willing commission of a crime. Those who willingly commit crimes and injure others in the commission of their crimes should be treated as the criminals they are, without regard to rank or status.

The author has been a US teacher at Huarui College of Xinyang Normal University since 2006

(China Daily 10/14/2008 page9)