Drivers from one town who break traffic rules in another will no longer escape punishment thanks to a new traffic management system.

Functioning nationwide from October, the new system links up traffic administration bureaus nationwide meaning offenders will face punishment no matter where they are from, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said.

Statistics from traffic management authorities in east China's Anhui Province indicate that out-of-town drivers commit more than 300 traffic offences each day, 40 percent of the total.

But reporting the violations to a driver's home jurisdiction has often been difficult and many drivers have gotten off scot-free.

But progress made in computer technology is improving the situation.

Under the new system traffic violations can be accessed nationwide, drivers who break traffic regulations will face punishment no matter where they live, an official surnamed Song from the MPS Traffic Administration Bureau said.

"The system had gone into effect in 21 provinces and regions by the end of June, including Beijing and Tianjin municipalities, Hebei and Guangdong provinces," he said.

The information network will go nationwide by the end of October, allowing police in more than 630 cities and counties to share traffic violation data and mete out corresponding punishment, Song said.

Under the system, when a policeman stops an out-of-town offender, he will transmit information about the driver and the violation to the provincial traffic bureau. It then goes to the database of the MPS Traffic Administration Bureau, which will send the information to the jurisdiction where the driver lives.

The whole procedure takes less than 24 hours, Song said.

Such a system is similar to that used in the United States, where each state's Department of Motor Vehicles keeps records of every driver's history, no matter where he or she lives. Every violation or accident in which a driver is involved is reported to the department by the police as well as by the driver's insurance company.

"Offenders must pay the penalty in the cities in which they violate traffic rules; otherwise, they will not be allowed to pass the annual license review," said Qi Yong, a traffic policeman in Beijing's Chaoyang District.

Qi said the new system has worked well in Beijing since it took effect last year to help reduce the number of traffic offences by drivers from outside the city.

As in many other countries, offenders in China have to reapply for their driving licences if they accumulate 12 points in offences within one year.

However, a further problem to be addressed is getting information about the violation to the offenders, as statistics from China Post in Beijing suggest that 90 percent of drivers' addresses turn out to be inaccurate.

(China Daily July 26, 2005)