The road to safety starts with an education drive

At least two-thirds of participants of an online multichoice poll have run a red light, according to results released on Sunday, the first National Road Safety Day.

The results of the survey, which polled 10,682 respondents, have led to renewed calls for more safety measures.

Although more than 93 percent of people said traffic lights should be obeyed, 67 percent admitted they had broken the law by failing to stop for a red light. Meanwhile, 72 percent said the violation was the worst behavior displayed by drivers.

The Ministry of Public Security's traffic management division and China Youth Daily conducted the poll last week.

Sunday was chosen as National Road Safety Day because it is written "122" — the phone number for reporting traffic accidents in China.

"Part of the reason for such common traffic violations is that many Chinese people tend to follow others, and tend to believe that the authorities are reluctant to punish a large group of people even if they have violated regulations," said Chen Yanyan, a professor at Beijing University of Technology's Transport Research Center.

"More efforts are needed to improve people's awareness of following the rules, such as intensifying education, starting at primary school."

According to the survey, 63 percent attributed their traffic violations to a tendency to follow others, while 40 percent said they believed they would never be punished.

Failing to stop for red lights caused 4,227 accidents during the first 10 months of this year, resulting in 798 deaths, the Ministry of Public Security said.

By the end of October, China had 238 million vehicles and 256 million drivers.

Pedestrians cross streets when they have a red light more frequently than motorists, which not only puts their lives in danger but also contributes to traffic congestion, Liu Zhao, deputy director of traffic management for the ministry, told China Central Television.

"We found that drivers had to lower their speeds or even stop when their vehicles came near the crossing if there were pedestrians crossing when a red light was on," he said. "This interrupts traffic flow and is one reason for traffic congestion."

Widespread traffic signal violations have forced some local governments to take harsher measures. 

In October, Shijiazhuang, capital of North China's Hebei province, introduced fines of up to 50 yuan ($8) for jaywalkers, while Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province raised its penalty from a maximum of 20 yuan to 100 yuan, according to reports.

"There are many reasons for traffic violations, including ignoring traffic rules and safety, and lack of tolerance and patience," Liu said. "Everyone should follow rules and social codes."

Some experts also suggested urban planners pay an equal amount of attention to pedestrians who ignore traffic signals.

Chen Yanyan at the Transport Research Center at Beijing University of Technology said urban planning should be improved to encourage more orderly traffic.

"In many big cities, road design generally favors motorists while pedestrians' needs are ignored," she said.