Legal issues, clarifying the law in China
Points I am fairly clear on.
-If a 'motorized vehicle' on the road has no license plate, no inspection plate, or no insurance card or no vehicle license card the police can impound the vehicle.
-If someone does not have a driving license they could be fined 200 yuan ~ 2,000 yuan, and possibly be detained for up to 15 days.
-If someone is killed in an accident you are involved in, and the police blame you, and you run away you could get 7 years ~ 15 years in prison.
-If they believe you caused a serious accident you could get up to 3 years in prison.
-You cannot drink any alcohol and drive.
Some questions and clearing up some points.
According to the police, there are generally two kinds of vehicles, that use the roads in China, 'motorized vehicles' and 'non motorized vehicles'.
Are motorcycles 'motorized vehicles' in Chinese law?
If motorcycles are motorized vehicles, why are they unable to drive on expressways, when Chinese law says that any 'motorized vehicle' capable of 70kmh may drive on expressways?
Some people have said you must have a 'resident permit and Chinese driving license to ride a motorcycle legally in China'. Is this incorrect? My interpretation is that at some time you must have had a residency type of visa, to be able to get a Chinese driving license in the first place. However if you at a later stage change your visa status you are still legal (for example if you come to China on a visitor/tourist visa after previously working in China), as you have a driving license which is valid for 6 years from issue.