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Harsh laws pointless if they are toothless
By Wang Yong |
April 20, 2011, Wednesday
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THE more I learn driving, the better I see the ugly side of it.
Last week, I passed a standard test on driving rules - the first step toward getting a driver's license.
According to the rules, a driver must yield to a pedestrian crossing the road even if the latter runs red light; no car can park within 30 meters of a bus station; and it's illegal for a driver to talk on a cell phone while driving.
Day in and day out, I see quite the opposite on the road. Law is toothless if law enforcers don't bite. What's the meaning of making a harsh or harsher law if it can be easily bent into empty talk?
Starting from May 1, any case of drunk driving may well result in immediate revocation of the driver's license, and the culprit would not be permitted to apply for a new license for five years.
That would be much harsher than the current rule, under which a drunken driver's license is suspended for up to six months.
In theory, a harsher law is better than a lenient one, but in reality, there's always a way to bypass the law, however harsh it may be.
If you're an official or rich man or woman with good connections, chances are you get only a slap on the wrist for drunk driving while others - the "have-nots" - get a real slap in the face.
One of my acquaintances doesn't know how to back a car into a garage, and yet he passed the test on reverse parking last week because someone gestured beside him - both of them were beyond the reach of any electronic eye on the testing ground. This attests to the reality of China today: it's not a lawless country, it's a land where law is sometimes useless.
Last week, I passed a standard test on driving rules - the first step toward getting a driver's license.
According to the rules, a driver must yield to a pedestrian crossing the road even if the latter runs red light; no car can park within 30 meters of a bus station; and it's illegal for a driver to talk on a cell phone while driving.
Day in and day out, I see quite the opposite on the road. Law is toothless if law enforcers don't bite. What's the meaning of making a harsh or harsher law if it can be easily bent into empty talk?
Starting from May 1, any case of drunk driving may well result in immediate revocation of the driver's license, and the culprit would not be permitted to apply for a new license for five years.
That would be much harsher than the current rule, under which a drunken driver's license is suspended for up to six months.
In theory, a harsher law is better than a lenient one, but in reality, there's always a way to bypass the law, however harsh it may be.
If you're an official or rich man or woman with good connections, chances are you get only a slap on the wrist for drunk driving while others - the "have-nots" - get a real slap in the face.
One of my acquaintances doesn't know how to back a car into a garage, and yet he passed the test on reverse parking last week because someone gestured beside him - both of them were beyond the reach of any electronic eye on the testing ground. This attests to the reality of China today: it's not a lawless country, it's a land where law is sometimes useless.
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