Garbage vans under scrutiny

XI'AN - All trucks transporting construction waste in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, were ordered to stop operation for three days for a reappraisal from Monday to Wednesday and banned from going into urban areas from 6:00 am to 22:30 pm.

The validity of driving licenses held by the drivers and the vehicles they use would be checked to ensure they fulfilled safety regulations. The drivers will get a refresher course in safety rules.

On Friday and Sunday a 10-year-old girl and a 76-year-old woman were killed by two speeding trucks. The tragedies provoked outrage among local residents who vented their anger against rash driving online and complained to the local media.

China Daily was told by a witness surnamed Song that an angry crowd overturned four cars, including two police cars, on Friday evening on the accident spot where the little girl was run over. They blamed the authorities for dereliction of duty, which, they said, had led to a recent surge in such accidents.

The two drivers responsible for the deaths were detained by the police. Another 12 truck drivers had their driving licenses revoked, according to the local traffic police.

Statistics from the traffic police showed that 50 people lost their lives in accidents caused by speeding trucks in 2011. And though the police had carried out several campaigns to control "presumptuous" truck drivers, the latter showed no signs of respecting traffic rules.

At about 10:00 pm on Sunday, some 230 police officers were posted at 11 checking points on Xi'an's key roads. They were checking the vehicles for possible traffic violation. By early morning on Monday, the police had checked 221 trucks and withheld 58 that were found to have broken traffic regulation and law, according to Wang Hailing, deputy director of Xi'an public security bureau.

"We will hand out heavy punishment to those found running red lights, speeding and committing other violations, in order to effectively control the waste-carrying trucks and ensure residents' safety," Wang said.

"Almost every truck carrying construction waste runs red lights at high speed at night and also speeds in day time," said Li Hanliang, a taxi driver in the city.

A truck driver who declined to give his name told China Daily that most of them were part-time workers employed by the truck company and that their pay depended on the number of times they transported construction waste during a night, hence the tendency to drive faster.

Shi Ying, deputy head of Shaanxi Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, said that the ineptitude of some truck drivers who ignored traffic law and regulations and poor management of the transport business were causing the rise of accidents.

"The truck business is managed by the city appearance administration, traffic police and urban management authority, but none of them could have absolute control on the trucks. The local government should evolve a practical and effective measure to slow down the 'crazy trucks' and ensure the safety of the local people," Shi said.

China Daily

(China Daily 12/06/2011 page4)