First motorcycle rescue team revs into action in Qingdao

Volunteers will offer technical and medical assistance on busy streets

In a first for China, a new motorbike rescue team took to the road in Qingdao, Shandong province, last week.

The team was founded by the Qingdao Voluntary Road Rescue Team, a volunteer organization made up of local drivers.

"Due to increasing traffic in the city, it's difficult to reach accident scenes fast, so we decided to start the motorbike service team to solve the problem," said Tian Pengfei, director of the road rescue team.

Lu Feng initiated the motorbike team two months ago. He said the most pressing tasks are to increase training for members while creating complete regulations and management rules. After that, members will perform rescue missions and promote safe driving.

"In addition to their agility, which allows them to avoid traffic backups, motorbikes have many other advantages," he said.

Lu said motorbikes consume less fuel than cars and take up less space, which could help conserve energy, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and increase traffic mobility. However, many motorcyclists in China drive in a dangerous way, tarnishing the overall image.

"Therefore, one of our most important missions is to restore people's trust and interest in motorbikes, to better protect the environment and use resources more efficiently," Lu said.