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for 2 years driving everyday, first time got checked at dongzhimen, license and registration...... reason for checking - NO HELMET. always wear your helmet folks.....police say he dont care what law your country is but in china you must wear helmet when driving a motorcycle.... it has a fine dont know how much......
Wow. Actual law enforcement! What a concept!
To be honest, I'd love to see the police step up enforcement for everyone, motorcycles included, as long as it's done fairly and responsibly. I don't even mind a concentrated focus on motorcycles and scooters if it helps clear the roads of unlicensed drivers and unregistered bikes.
Enforcing a helmet law will be a major task here in Shanghai!
cheers
Agree with Euphonius! Driving rules in China shall be more enforced to guarantee safety of everybody!Quote:
Originally Posted by euphonius
Attachment 8316
if it's becoming too messy then they will go for full car city such as GZ, SZ, HZ, etc...
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Damn, I must have flashing neon signs on my bikes, shouting "pick me! pick me!", that only the police can see. I'm "checked" at least once a month.
When Motokai starts selling his "invisibility cloak", I'll be first in line.
Actually, though, from all the countries I've lived in, I have consistently found the Beijing Traffic Police to be the most polite I've encountered (with the British a close second). I was once riding with a group inside the city, and one of the members was ticketed for an obstructed plate. After giving the ticket, the policeman saluted the rider! WTF?!?! I asked about that later, thinking that the cop was being snarky, but no ... it is proper protocol. Amazing. Let's see THAT happen in the West!
I have seen and also been stopped and asked to produce license and vehicle registration at numerous traffic police checkpoints or combinations of one or the other. Often I've seen said checkpoints well ahead (but not always) and could take avoidance action, but don't find it necessary since all my bikes and my car is legal etc. The officers are often pleasant enough, and are sometimes amused when they realise I'm a foreigner. Nonetheless I entertain their antics, and often they'll want to know "how much is it?" - always an ice breaker in China. That being said though, it is obvious that the enforcement is tokenism a majority of the time since some riders will also see the checkpoint and make the necessary adjustment in route planning or have the pillion hop off the bike etc. Often such activities take place in plain view of the police, who do not intervene in any way. Often these checkpoints are targeting specific vehicle types, and so other violators are not stopped. Funnily enough, some riders not wearing helmets approaching check points or seeing traffic police will promptly place a helmet (some are little more than cheap ass plastics that wouldn't provide any protection whatsoever) on their heads without using any chin strap! There has been only one chase that I have witnessed, which was a three wheeled motorbike taxi with enclosure, ridden by an elderly guy who didn't want to stop - he was chased the 20-30 metres or so by two young cops in a Santana police car (no lights or siren), who drove up beside the taxi (likely illegally operated or in an area disallowed) and then forced it into the curb. The two cops were smiling and laughing as they got of their patrol car. It was very Laurel and Hardy-ish.
I pulled in behind a couple of riders after work the other evening, and noted that two of several of the riders at the intersection appeared to be wearing new looking helmets - still the typical helmets with Chinese characteristics mind, but at least they looked better than the average round these parts, I noted though that even though the helmets were nice and shiny new, one of the riders didn't have the chin strap engaged. I felt like leaning over and flipping the helmet of his head and then say something like, well that's your helmet so how about your head, face or chin - but my Chinese isn't that good, nor would the rider get the point. - Everything in China is just for looking - a veneer and a smokescreen, at best.
Oh, and the salute thing, I've seen many times usually performed by the cop as he steps up the drivers window of a vehicle. It's common around Zhejiang. It simply a sign of respect, which makes me cringe when I watch some of the American cop reality shows and see officers treat offenders indignantly. I'm sure some offenders might "deserve" what they get, but watching how some officers treat suspects (females or elderly or even an offender who hasn't really done that much wrong), making them hit the ground in the wet, or in dirt and/or mud - WTF! Offenders get treated like animals and in such a way I'd think it would be against the American constitution, innocent until proven guilty, and being treated with humility and respect.
Cops already do this. They camp out at intersections all the time, and go down the line checking papers.Quote:
Originally Posted by euphonius
You want to make the roads safer, encourage them to actually pull over and ticket drivers who run lights, signal without indicating, turn on red without stopping first, pull that slick left-turn move where they cut all the way over into the other lanes, etc...
Also, ticketing 2-wheeled vehicles for driving at night w/o their headlight on would go a long way toward increased safety.