Cab driver’s death prompts anti-drunk driving appeal

A lawyer has started a microblog appeal against drunk driving, following the death of a Beijing taxi driver who was killed in a collision with another driver who was found to be driving while intoxicated (DWI), he told the Global Times Wednesday.

The appeal on Sina Weibo, from Sichuan-based lawyer Shi Jie, who has campaigned against drunk driving in the past, has already attracted support from over 200 celebrities.

The taxi driver, Li Jie, died on Friday morning after he was involved in a traffic accident around 11 pm last Thursday. As Li was turning left at Xierqi Beilu, Haidian district, a black SUV, driven by a 38-year-old man, crashed into his cab. This man was injured and is still being treated in Qinghe 999 Emergency Center, the Beijing News reported.

Donations to Li's family have reached 170,000 yuan ($27,279) from Baidu, Sina and Sohu, the report said. Police confirmed the other driver was drunk. Li was well-known to Baidu staff as he often picked them up from the headquarters. Li had dubbed himself the "second driver of Baidu."

"We want to raise public awareness on the dangers of DWI. We have to strengthen our inspection and law implementation and raising public awareness is crucial," said Shi.

Shi, a criminal lawyer and member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, had proposed an amendment to the law to criminalize those caught driving while intoxicated if they had not caused an accident into China's criminal law in 2010. Those caught could be jailed for up to six months. He will propose a new amendment to the law at this year's two sessions to include those driving under the influence of drugs, Shi said.

The number of DWI cases punished by police forces in China from May 1, 2011 when the law was enacted, to April 20, 2012, was 354,000, a decrease of 41.7 percent from the previous period, Xinhua News Agency reported in April, 2012.