THE TRAFFIC POLICE in Pudong, Shanghai, have made it compulsory for all couriers to wear yellow safety vests with reflective stripes to catch drivers' attention, and plates attached with a number bound to their personal information. China Daily reporter Li Yang comments:

It is estimated there are nearly 4 million couriers and delivery persons shuttling around China's cities every day. They have brought great convenience to consumers and have played a pivotal role in boosting the rise of the country's e-commerce industry over the past decade.

Surveys show that courier work is a popular choice for most migrant workers coming to a city to make money, as there is almost no pre-job training, except basic skills on the use of smartphones.

Almost predictably, electric bicycles and tricycles, which although regulated are poorly supervised, have become the ideal means for these busy bees, who earn by-the-delivery wages. Statistics show the average monthly income of couriers is about 7,000 yuan ($1,043), and the most hardworking of them can make four to five times that much in a month, which in some cases is equivalent to what they could earn in a year in their rural hometowns.

But for some, the money comes at a huge cost. Large numbers of traffic accidents are caused by these bread earners' dangerous, if not desperate, way of driving, and they are often among the victims.

The use of the number plates on the vests is an original practice aimed at spurring the delivery persons to follow the traffic rules, as the cameras on the roadsides and bridges, which have been installed to obtain visual evidence of traffic rule violations will monitor their behavior. Similar to car drivers, whose driving licenses can be revoked if they accumulate 12 points in a year violating traffic rules, the Pudong traffic police are granting each delivery person a ceiling of 36 points in a quarter. Although that may seem generous, any delivery persons who hit that ceiling within three months will be banned from the occupation for life.

Hopefully, the new practice will encourage delivery persons to observe the rules of the road. And, if it works well, it can be rolled out nationwide.

CAI MENG/CHINA DAILY