Amended law yields results as drunk driving cases drop
Print Edition
IN one of the positives since the amendment of the Criminal Law, the number of people killed while driving under the influence of alcohol in the last three years dropped by nearly 40 percent, the Ministry of Public Security said.
It is being seen as a major achievement since the amended law, which came into effect in 2011, stipulated that drunk driving was a criminal offense — even if it did not lead to an accident.
Between May 1, 2011 and April 30 this year, the death toll in cases triggered by driving under the influence of alcohol and drunk driving fell 39.3 percent compared to the same period between 2008 and 2011, the ministry found.
The number of drinking-related cases dropped by 25 percent over the three years. And the number of drunk-driving cases stood at 222,000, which was down 42.7 percent from the 2008-2011 period.
In China, drivers who are found to have more than 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of their blood are identified as drunk. Previously, they only faced administrative detention but after the new law came into effect in May 2011, they can now be jailed on charges of dangerous driving.
But drivers who test between 20 to 80 milligrams of alcohol can still be penalized for violations of the Road Traffic Safety Law and face fines and can have their driving license revoked.
As one of the largest producers of alcohol, China’s drinking culture is well entrenched. Rarely, if ever, did people persuade their relatives and friends not to drive after drinking, leading to a rise in the number of fatal accidents in the last decade. The high fatalities prompted China to amend the Criminal Law and criminalise drunk driving.
Popular musician Gao Xiaosong was the first drunk driver to receive jail term after the amended law came into effect.
He was taken into custody in Beijing on the night of May 9, 2011, after his car was involved in a four-vehicle smash that left three people injured. A blood test showed Gao had 243.03 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood — over three times the legal limit.
He was sentenced to six months in jail.
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