By Erik Crouch
Image credit: @marshallsegal
Authorities from the Shanghai Traffic Law Enforcement Team have been coordinating with taxi companies to boost seatbelt use in the city’s cabs. Of the 50,000 taxis on the road in Shanghai, about 10% lack working seat belts entirely. Of the other 90%, most are hidden behind seat covers or otherwise unused, and cab drivers very seldom remind passengers to buckle up. Shanghai authorities plan on fining taxi companies between 200 and 2,000 yuan for broken seat belt violations, starting next year.
This announcement joins several recent traffic-headlines, all of which fall into the category of “oh, I suppose that is illegal, isn’t it?” Leading the pack is the news that Shanghai fined 350,000 people this year for jay walking; a close second is Beijing’s epic fining of 19 people in 30 minutes for crossing the road “Chinese-style.” With their combined efforts, the Shanghai and Beijing authorities may just be able to save us from unbuckled and jay-walking anarchy.
No news on whether authorities will force taxis to do away with the terrifying metal bars that ‘protect’ the driver while all but guaranteeing that passengers will come off worst in any crash.
