Editorials

Driving sensibility

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-28 08:36

It is less of a dispute and more of an outburst of dissatisfaction. People cannot help being disappointed with the clause on drunk driving that could be incorporated into the Criminal Law.

When news came that an amendment to the country's criminal code would make drunk driving a crime, many hoped the law would take a tougher stance toward the much-derided phenomenon. Actually, many had hoped the law to be strict enough to deter drunk driving.

Yet the draft amendment seeks to treat drunk drivers with kid gloves. Drunk drivers will be remanded in police custody and fined only if "the circumstances are serious". This is surprising, for even under the current policies, every drunk driver that is caught is fined, taken into police custody, and has his/her driver's license confiscated.

No wonder, people complain that the amendment would encourage more drunks to hit the roads. Almost every drunk seems confident about his or her state of mind, and only few fear the "serious" consequences of driving.

If the draft is made into law without modifications, it will surely send the wrong message, which would be against the proclaimed purpose of discouraging drunk driving.

We urge the legislators to not lose sight of the devastating consequences of drunk driving and society's imperative need for an effective legal deterrent against it.

The least they could do is to delete the only if "circumstances are serious" precondition, and make the punishment for drunk driving as strict as possible.