中国发布2011《中国汽车社会蓝皮书》

Experts that participated in the forum believe China will soon enter an era of auto-society in the first quarter of 2012, based on the ratio of car ownership within the country.

Private car ownership in China is estimated to reach around 80 million by the end of this year. And in the first quarter of 2012, on average, one in every two Chinese families will own a car.

As well as providing the above figure, Wang Junxiu, associate professor at the Institute of Sociology with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said that the increasing level of car ownership in China poses severe challenges to Chinese society.

"Car ownership is increasing rapidly; however, infrastructure hasn't been modified accordingly, which includes the acceleration of road construction. On top of this, car-related services, such as sufficient parking facilities, are not in place. Meanwhile, drivers haven't become accustomed to the increase of new drivers on the road so they often breach traffic regulations. The situation is deteriorating, with first-tier cities suffering the most while second and third-tier cities are not far behind. So we're now seeking a change."

Wang Junxiu is the chief editor of an annual report on the development of an auto-society within China, also known as the Blue Book of Auto Society in 2011. The Blue Book, the first annual report of its type, has collected about 20 research papers as well as surveys which provide analysis on the situation, covering the areas of sociology, urban planning, traffic management, environmental science, economics, consumption and marketing.

The book also explores ways for building and developing a healthy auto-society in China.

Wang Junxiu has urged officials to regard the building of an auto-society as a social issue, rather than merely looking at it as a collection of problems such as traffic jams or road accidents. Wang said that the foundation of a well-balanced automotive culture relies upon the civilized driving behaviour on the road.

"I hope we can start with the cars and their drivers. Regulations, moral standards and laws should be observed within Chinese society so that people become friendly towards one another. In this way, harmony between cars and pedestrians will be easily achieved. The purpose of writing the Blue Book is to kick start to adjustment making process in order to adapt to an increasing level of car ownership. I expect readers of the Blue Book to come from all walks of life, including ordinary citizens and government officials who may come to realize that there are some facts or aspects of knowledge that they previously failed to understand."

Entitled "Shaping the Future of Driving Together", the forum, co-sponsored by Mercedes-Benz and the Institute of Sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has attracted a number of experts, scholars, car industry professionals, and media.

For CRI, I'm Wei Tong.