交通安全:需要的不只是新交規

Turning left under a bridge in Beijing, Hu Xingxin, 24, suddenly screeched to a stop in front of a yellow light at a busy crossroad.

24歲的胡興新（音譯）開車經過北京的一座橋下左，突然一陣刺耳的急剎車聲，他將車停在了一處繁華十字路口的黃燈前。

“According to the new traffic regulations, running a yellow light is equal to running a red one,” said the Beijing-based IT technician. “Since the new rules came into effect I’m always ready to hit the brakes to avoid a penalty.“

“根據新交規規定，闖黃燈等同於闖紅燈，”在北京做IT技術員工作的他表示。“自從新交規實行以來，我隨時做好剎車的準備，以免被罰。”

Authorities have since changed the rules and running a yellow light no longer results in a 6-point deduction.

稍後，有關部門對於新交規做了修改，闖黃燈不再受到扣六分的處罰。

New traffic regulations are the latest measure to improve road safety, which has become a problem in China. Experts say that to achieve better road safety, various and comprehensive methods are needed. Updating the rules are only part of the story.

在中國，交通安全是一個難題，而新交規正是改善這一難題的最新舉措。專家表示，如果想要提升交通安全，需要各種綜合措施來配合。更新法律只是一個方面。

“Traffic accidents have become a serious problem for public safety,” said Wang Yong, a public health emergency consultant from the Ministry of Health.

“交通事故已經成爲一個非常嚴重的公共安全問題，”衛生部突發公共衛生事件應急顧問王勇（音譯）表示。

More than 68,000 road accidents, resulting in 794 deaths, more than 100 a day, occurred in China during the last National Day holiday, according to the Ministry of Public Security. The ministry also revealed that in 2011, 62,000 people died from road accidents.

據公安部統計，去年國慶假期，我國共發生6.8萬多起交通事故，導致了764人喪生，每日發生交通事故達上百起。公安部還透露，2011年有6.2萬人死於交通事故。

“Traffic accidents are becoming a development crisis,” World Health Organization (WHO) director general Margaret Chan told The Guardian last month.

“交通事故正在演變成爲一場發展的危機，”世界衛生組織總幹事陳馮富珍上月在接受《衛報》記者採訪時表示。

According to the WHO, traffic accidents kill more people around the world than malaria and are the leading cause of death for young people aged 5 to 29 - especially in developing countries.

據世界衛生組織統計，全世界交通事故死亡人數超過瘧疾，成爲了5-29歲年齡段青少年的主要死亡原因，特別是在發展中國家。

Each year up to 1.3 million people are killed and more than 50 million injured in traffic accidents around the world.

每年全世界範圍發生的交通事故致使多達130萬人喪生，超過5000萬人受傷。

The economic consequences are also significant: According to a study by the World Bank and Harvard University, traffic accidents on average cost a country 1 to 3 percent of its annual Gross National Product. The WHO reported that road accidents cost the world more than $500 billion (3.11 trillion yuan) a year.

所引起的經濟後果也很顯著：根據世界銀行和哈佛大學聯合研究顯示，對於一個國家而言，每年交通事故通常會消耗掉1-3%的國民生產總值。世界衛生組織報告稱，每年，交通事故會爲全世界帶來超過5000億美元（約合31100億元人民幣）的損失。

The newly revised regulations impose much heavier penalties on drivers who violate traffic rules. Under the new regulations, 52 different violations result in penalties, up from 38 under the previous system.

新修訂的交規大大加大了對違規司機的處罰力度。根據新規定，違規行爲記分項由之前的38項增至52項。

Eleven kinds of violations now result in the deduction of 12 points, compared to six points under the previous regulation. These violations include drunken driving and using fake license plates.

今後，共有11項違規行爲從之前的扣6分處罰，提升至扣12分。這些違規行爲包括酒後駕車以及僞造車牌。

“The heavier penalties will force drivers to follow traffic regulations,” said Chen Yanyan, a professor at Beijing University of Technology’s Transport Research Center. But she added that traffic regulations are only one aspect of many regarding problems with road safety in China.

“更爲嚴厲的處罰將會迫使司機遵守交規，”來自北京工業大學交通研究中心的陳燕燕（音譯）教授說。但她也表示交通法規只是我國交通安全相關問題的一個方面。

According to Chen, other components of road safety include technology and urban design.

陳教授稱，交通安全的其他組成部分包括技術和城市設計。