Arbitrary fines must be eliminated

The media has exposed some shocking cases of arbitrary fines by the traffic administration authorities in Hebei province, including drivers of overloaded trucks continuing after paying fines without unloading any goods, says an article in China Business News. Excerpts:

The central government started tackling the arbitrary fine problem in 1994. But the problem is still there 18 years later. Seventy-five percent of goods in China were delivered on the road in 2010, and tolls for highways and bridges account for 20 to 30 percent of transportation costs. If fines are counted, the profit margin for drivers will be even lower.

Expensive highway tolls and high gas prices force truck drivers to overload their vehicles to make more money. This has become an open secret, and many accidents can be attributed to this.

Instead of lowering the highway tolls and solving the security threat of overloading, the traffic administrations, as reported by the media, make money from the drivers, despite the central government's repeated emphasis on traffic security and banning arbitrary fines.

These departments and law enforcement staff are actually abusing their powers. The harms are evident. Every penny they pocket will add to the costs for the drivers, forcing them to overload their trucks more than before. How many more accidents are caused by these greedy authorities?

In the eyes of drivers, these authorities become gainful monsters. They are dauntless and graft openly. Where are the disciplinary watchdogs? The scariest part of the story is not the voracious law enforcers, but their audacity and indifference to lives.

Transportation costs, especially arbitrary fines, have laid a heavy burden on China's logistic industries, sapping the vitality of the whole economy.