FROM MARCH 15, Liuzhou, a city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, will punish anyone who throws trash out of a vehicle window. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Wednesday:

It is uncivilized and illegal to throw trash from a vehicle out of a window. It is a threatening action that can endanger pedestrians and other road users. Strict prohibition of the behavior is necessary to ensure road safety. The new penalty system will help people learn to stop throwing trash from their vehicles.

Anyone who receives a notice from the administrative law enforcement investigation department is supposed to pay a fine of 300 yuan ($43) within 15 days. If the payment is still due after 15 days, it will be increased to 500 yuan. If it is still outstanding after more than a month, it will be increased to 1,000 yuan. Anyone who refuses to pay the fine will face mandatory law enforcement by court order and have a criminal record against his or her name.

However, the traffic police are more likely to be able to enforce the ban than urban patrol officers.

If it is urban management officers who exercise the power, it will be more difficult for them to obtain information about the owner of a vehicle.

The law enforcement experience, expertise and authority of the traffic police mean they can tackle various types of traffic violations more effectively than urban patrol officers.