While public awareness of the no no that is drinking alcohol and then driving a car is now at an all-time high, alarming numbers of those on two wheels remain ambivalent to the dangers. Hence Nanjing police recently got creative in their efforts.
The point was made on the evening of 24 April at 23:40. That’s when Nanjing’s Jiangning District traffic police received the call; an accident had occurred at the intersection of Wenjing Lu and the Dongshan Sub District Service Centre, in which an e-bike had collided with a car.
The driver of the car nervously said over the phone, “I don’t seem to have hit him very hard, but he’s lying on the car without moving. I don’t know what’s going on”.
The e-bike rider then rolled off the car and onto the road, to immediately fall fast asleep, snoring even. When police arrived and got up close with the man, a giant whiff of alcohol greeted them.
Once awakened, officers found the e-bike rider to have a blood-alcohol content of 219 milligrams per 100 millilitres. It was determined that the rider, surnamed, Lin, was fully responsible for the accident due to his running a red light and driving a non-motorised vehicle under the influence.
Such incidents provided the motivation for Nanjing’s finest to present their public awareness efforts in an unusual way on Tuesday, 9 May, outside Kingmo Mall in Jiangning.
There, police officers attempted to subtly improve the public’s traffic-safety awareness through measures such as explaining accident case studies. As Nanjing Daily reports, they even sang a song or two to make sure of getting local people’s attention.
Beginning 23 April, Nanjing’s traffic management authorities have instigated a 100-day crackdown on illegal behaviour related to e-bikes. Drunk riding is defined as one of the “key contents” of this action.
The Nanjinger reminds that operating an e-bike on public roads while intoxicated is illegal. Those found doing so may be issued a warning or a fine of ¥5-50 in accordance with Article 89 of the Road Traffic Safety Law. Those who refuse to pay up may have their e-bikes confiscated.
Police officer, Liu Ning, told reporters during Tuesday’s event that compared to car accidents, those involving e-bikes are often more serious. With the bikes and their riders commonly known as “meat wrapped in iron” (肉包铁), fatalities are also not uncommon.
