官方：严格交通法规促进文明驾驶

Chinese drivers are facing harsher penalties after a revised regulation came into effect on Tuesday, with many motorists being caught out.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, many cities reported a sharp decrease in urban traffic violations on the first day the new regulation took effect.

Under the revision, ignoring traffic lights will result in six penalty points, double the previous punishment. The penalty for improper license plate display is now 12 points.

If a driver receives 12 points in a year, he or she is required to attend a training session and take a written exam before getting back behind the wheel.

Moreover, 52 kinds of violations can result in penalties, up from 38 under the previous regulation.

The new rules have been dubbed "the strictest traffic regulations ever" on the Internet.

This truck driver in Beijing reckons the new traffic light rule is too strict for him:

"As a professional driver, I have to drive all the year round and many violations of rules are unavoidable. The heavy penalty makes it easy to strip off my 12 points. Sometimes I have good reasons for running red lights. Instead of heavier penalties, I think education is a better solution."

Cui Jian, a traffic official from the Ministry of Public Security, says strictly enforcing the rule will help make Chinese driving more "civilized."

"China is at the early stages of the automobile age, and most drivers do not have enough psychological preparation to drive safely. Strict law enforcement is an important step towards building a safer driving environment."

Traffic accidents on Tuesday in five major cities, including Beijing and Tianjin, decreased by 9.3 to 29.8 percent from the previous day.

Meanwhile, in a poll on Sina.com, 67-percent of more than 1-thousand participants supported the revised traffic rules.