CRI听力:Illegal Motor Racing Faces Strict Ban in Beijing

Drivers in Beijing are not going to be so "Fast and Furious."

Real-life authorities have their eyes on illegal motor racing gang and will step up patrols in downtown areas where they often race.

A resident who lives near Datun Tunnel in Chaoyang District says they suffer from the noise of rumbling engines every night.

"There is no speed bump in this tunnel, and no speed camera. That's why the drivers like to race here. After 11, you can always hear the gearbox roar, almost every night."

With police patrols and check points now being set up, the campaign is to mete out severe punishments to those illegal racers, and to build a long-term mechanism to stop such acts.

Police authorities will also strengthen checks on modified car shops, which are said to provide custom designs for illegal car races.

Those who illegally changed performance and appearance of their car is not likely to pass annual inspection to have registration certificate so are banned for road.

The cars can pass inspection only if the modifications are reversed.

In the past years, Beijing police have launched several special operations to stop motor racing, however all got nowhere.

Hong Daode, professor at China University of Political Science and Law, says the reason for failing to eliminate such races is due to lacking law enforcement.

"The evidence is not hard to obtain, there is CCTV on all major roads, so we have the video evidence. I think the reason lies in slack law enforcement. Maybe because some races didn't cause any casualty so the local police just let the drivers walk away with warning. If we don't punish the outlaws, it could be an inducement for drivers to take chances."

Earlier this month, a Lamborghini and Ferrari crashed in a race in an expressway tunnel in Beijing, just as the seventh stunt-filled "Fast and the Furious" movie opened in China.

The Beijing Traffic Management Bureau says the very accident took place on Datun Road wrecked a lime-green Lamborghini, and a red Ferrari.

Two drivers were detained after the accident. An investigation is ongoing.

For CRI, I'm Min Rui.