Hefty fines for drivers trying to cheat traffic laws

Penalties are being increased for drivers who try to avoid responsibility for traffic violations by hiring others to take the blame.

Drivers can accumulate up to 12 points for traffic violations in one year before their license is withheld, after which they must attend a seven-day class on road safety laws, regulations and relevant knowledge and pass an exam to regain their license.

However, in practice, some drivers who commit traffic violations use other people to accept the punishment along with the corresponding points, according to an official with the ministry's traffic management bureau.

Some individuals even profit from the process by organizing the buying and selling of points, the official said.

Drivers who have points deducted should confirm the violation with their driver's license and vehicle registration to the traffic police or at an administrative affairs processing hall.

But Cao Jingsun, 43, a former truck driver in Beijing, said he once paid some drivers 500 yuan ($78) for each point they accepted on his behalf.

"In the hall, we would ask the replacements to pose as the driver to take the deducted points. The replacements will often sell between six and nine points on their own license so that they will still be able to drive," Cao said.

The new measures, which came into effect on April 1, stipulate that drivers who ask others to accept punishments and points on their behalf will be fined up to three times the money they paid to a maximum of 50,000 yuan. They will also be punished for their original traffic violations.

People who accept the responsibility for others' violations will be given a fine up to three times the money they received to a maximum of 50,000 yuan, along with a 12-point deduction on their license.

Those who organize the buying and selling of points for profit will be given a fine up to 100,000 yuan.

If a driver has been punished for buying or selling points in the last three scoring cycles, he will not be able to sit traffic safety education to have points reinstated.

In addition, auxiliary officers and police who illegally handle motor vehicle registration, assist cheating on drivers' tests, or engage in the buying or selling points will be penalized by laws and regulations, according to the measures.

The new measures better meet people's demands for safe, convenient and efficient services, the traffic management bureau official said. It also modernizes the system along with the governance of traffic management, the official said.

Cao, the ex-truck driver, said drivers are now being scrutinized more carefully during the point deduction process, and drivers are also more careful to minimize driving offenses.