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In some areas, some people enjoy speeding at night, revving their engines and making loud noise, posing a safety risk to road traffic and disturbing nearby residents. In response, readers and netizens have written and left messages suggesting that relevant departments strengthen their efforts to regulate nighttime speeding, implementing comprehensive measures and addressing the root causes to ensure safety.
Speeding, disturbing the peace, and endangering public safety should be severely punished.
"Illegal modified vehicles frequently revving their engines late at night on some sections of Hebei Avenue, especially on the western section of Hebei Avenue, which happens almost every night. We hope relevant departments will pay attention to and resolve this issue." Not long ago, a netizen reported the problem of motor vehicles speeding and disturbing residents late at night on Hebei Avenue in Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province, on the "Leaders' Message Board" of People's Daily Online.
In response, the Qinhuangdao traffic management department activated its investigation and control mechanism, conducting round-the-clock video surveillance of Hebei Avenue and surrounding roads, and deploying officers from relevant brigades for surveillance. In just 10 days, 27 traffic violations involving "unauthorized alteration of registered technical data of motor vehicles other than freight vehicles" were investigated and dealt with throughout Qinhuangdao.
Many people have experienced being awakened from a deep sleep by the ear-piercing roar of engines. According to reader letters and online comments, street racing and disturbing the peace have occurred on main roads, around schools, shopping malls, and residential areas, with some cases persisting despite repeated complaints. "Vehicles often rev their engines in the middle of the night on the road near my home, frequently waking me up," said Mr. Liu from Chongqing. "My neighbors have called the police because they can't stand the noise, but it hasn't helped much."
"Street racing and high-revving vehicles have a serious impact on people's lives. Some modified vehicles have extremely loud exhaust pipes, producing tremendous noise even when driving normally. The Civil Code contains provisions on the right to peaceful living, and such behavior is an infringement on residents' right to peaceful living," said Zhu Wei, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law.
"One evening this summer, around 7 p.m., I was crossing the street with my child when a motorcycle waiting at a red light suddenly revved its engine. The noise was so loud that it startled my child and gave me a fright," Ms. Geng from Beijing said, still very angry about the incident.
Street racing and disturbing the peace pose significant dangers: Firstly, it severely endangers public safety. Many vehicles involved in street racing are illegally modified, affecting their stability and creating substantial safety hazards. Coupled with high speeds and drivers' poor safety awareness, this poses a significant safety risk to pedestrians, leading to frequent traffic accidents. Secondly, the noise pollution is immense. It is understood that a comfortable sound level for a normal person should not exceed 60 decibels, but modified motors can reach 100 decibels.
Whether it's cars or motorcycles, street racing and disturbing the peace are deeply resented by the public, and readers are calling for stronger enforcement. "Accidents involving street racing that result in vehicle damage and fatalities occur frequently. Not only do drivers face enormous risks, but pedestrians are also often injured. We hope relevant departments will severely punish street racing and disturbing the peace as a deterrent," said Chen Keqi, a reader from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province.
Most drivers speed in order to seek thrills and attract attention.
"I often see people riding motorcycles on Haihui Road. They are all quite young, some don't wear helmets, and they don't have license plates. They often speed past students when they leave school, which is very dangerous," Mr. Li from Ziyang City, Sichuan Province, reported.
In response, the local traffic management department stated that, given the generally young age of drivers involved in street racing, while strictly cracking down on such activities, they will also focus on strengthening public education, informing drivers of the illegal consequences and dangers of street racing, reminding them to abide by laws and regulations, resolutely eliminate illegal modifications, racing, and disturbing the peace with loud engines, and consciously maintain good traffic order.
As seen from some of the cases investigated, most of those involved in street racing are young people. Driven by a desire for thrills and to satisfy their vanity, they engage in street racing in various forms, including showing off skills, racing itself, entertainment, and gambling. "Young people enjoy adventure and crave excitement, so street racing is seen by them as a way to look cool. Furthermore, some young people have a relatively weak sense of law and are unaware of the dangers of street racing or illegal vehicle modifications, making them prone to breaking the law," said Zhu Wei.
Disturbing traffic behaviors take many forms. Some drivers speed and race on the road, some frequently weave through lanes and run red lights, and others forge, alter, or obscure license plates, or accelerate wildly to create loud noise. These behaviors seriously endanger traffic order and public safety, and affect the living environment of residents.
In August of this year, Shanghai police received reports from the public that several cars were racing on Anchen Road in Jiading District. An investigation by the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau Traffic Police Corps Mobile Detachment revealed that around 9 PM that day, Zhang, Long, and Ren had arranged to conduct a "0-100 km/h acceleration" race on Anchen Road. Although the race only occupied a short distance of about 200 meters, the vehicles accelerated extremely quickly, posing a significant threat to road safety. Subsequently, the police issued administrative detention orders against the three individuals for "disrupting public order."
In addition, the popularity of social media platforms such as live streaming and short videos has led some young people to take risks in pursuit of traffic and online rewards.
In July of this year, a case investigated by the Zhoukou City Public Security Bureau in Henan Province revealed that live-streaming motorcycle racing has become a way for some online celebrities to attract attention and gain traffic. Zhoukou traffic police saw a video of a person speeding by on a motorcycle, revving the engine loudly, and even performing a wheelie maneuver. The police subsequently interviewed local motorcycle enthusiasts and confirmed that the motorcyclist in the video was Li Moumou, an online celebrity on a short video platform with over a million followers. On the evening of July 13th, Li Moumou even live-streamed his entire motorcycle racing performance on the short video platform. The police subsequently investigated and dealt with the relevant responsible persons according to law.
Experts say some street racing videos deliberately exaggerate visual effects, leading young people to imitate them and unknowingly violate laws and regulations. Such videos should be strictly reviewed and their dissemination prevented to reduce their negative impact on young people. "Some 'internet celebrities' even use this to gain traffic and solicit donations; this is driven by economic interests, and relevant departments must address this according to law," said Zhu Wei.
Strengthen governance efforts and take multiple measures to jointly build a good traffic environment.
"Street racing is heartbreaking; it's playing with people's lives." "We hope for stronger penalties so that those who disturb the peace by street racing pay the price." "Electronic facilities can be used to increase the monitoring and investigation of street racing that disturbs the peace." Street racing disturbs the peace, endangers public safety, and disrupts public order. Readers and netizens have written and left messages demanding stronger penalties.
In fact, the problem of street racing disturbing residents has already attracted the attention of relevant departments. In June of this year, the Ministry of Public Security launched a "Summer Action" to crack down on all kinds of illegal and criminal activities and rectify prominent public security problems, with the crackdown on street racing disturbing residents being one of the key initiatives. Various localities have also subsequently launched actions to severely punish street racing that disturbs residents.
The public security organs in Xuancheng City, Anhui Province, have been conducting routine patrols and controls on roads where street racing and disturbing the peace are frequent. They have actively expanded their intelligence sources by implementing a reward system for reporting such incidents, establishing an informant team, and cultivating relationships with car repair and modification businesses. To date, they have investigated and dealt with 56 cases of street racing and disturbing the peace. Simultaneously, they have conducted on-site inspections of vehicle repair and modification companies, signing agreements to ensure they operate legally.
The Dongying City Public Security Bureau in Shandong Province has strengthened street patrols and enhanced electronic monitoring of key areas and roads, establishing regular checkpoints in areas with frequent public complaints. To date, they have dismantled 11 gangs involved in street racing and disturbing the peace, investigated one illegal vehicle modification workshop, and handled 24 cases involving suspected street racing and disturbing the peace.
Shanghai's public security authorities have strengthened source management and publicity and education, and have conducted legal publicity and education on "illegal modification" and "excessive noise" for more than 80 high-end car rental and sales companies. They have also required companies to clearly stipulate clauses in car rental contracts that prohibit noise pollution and street racing. They have also taken the initiative to contact various car clubs and car enthusiast associations to strengthen legal awareness.
Significant progress has been made in the special campaigns across various regions, with a marked improvement in public safety. However, the campaign still faces some challenges. For example, some stores openly sell motorcycles that do not meet national standards, and some illegally provide vehicle modification services that do not comply with regulations, increasing the difficulty of addressing the root causes. Furthermore, "street racers" mostly organize their races late at night or in the early morning, and frequently change locations, making detection difficult. Some "street racers," in their escape attempts, often resort to extreme measures to break through checkpoints, which can easily lead to accidents and injuries.
Furthermore, strict enforcement also presents certain challenges. "Since minors make up a significant proportion of those involved in street racing, the only action we can take against them is to impound their vehicles and issue warnings," said Suo Huajun, deputy head of the Dongying Municipal Public Security Bureau Traffic Police Detachment. "Some vehicles are original, unmodified vehicles, but like modified vehicles, they make a lot of noise, making it difficult to punish them. There are also some cases where street racing disturbs the peace, making evidence collection and characterization difficult." Suo Huajun explained that the next step will be to trace the source of modified and smuggled vehicles, promptly notify market supervision and transportation departments, conduct joint surprise inspections, and identify influential and frequently active organizers and participants in street racing disturbances in the local area, implementing precise measures to enhance the crackdown.
"We will continue to conduct publicity and education, focusing on the dangers of illegal vehicle modifications, the legal consequences of illegal modifications, and guidelines for legal modifications, as well as related traffic management measures. In conjunction with the 'Traffic Safety Campaign in Universities,' we will work with local university police stations to organize officers and university security departments to strengthen publicity and information dissemination among university students," said Ye Qing, deputy director of the Duty Department of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau Traffic Police Corps.
Readers and netizens suggested that relevant online platforms should also assume corresponding responsibilities. Liu Xiaoren, a reader from Dangshan County, Anhui Province, believes that "online platforms should also strengthen positive guidance, take measures to block or promptly remove videos of uploading or live-streaming racing, and punish the accounts of those responsible, in order to eliminate the negative influence of the internet on young people's racing and disturbing the peace."
Source: People's Daily Online