China Exclusive: South China city links traffic violations to personal credit

Believe it or not, running a red light may one day reduce your chance to secure a driver's license, find a satisfying job or even getting hitched.

Shenzhen, a city in south China's Guangdong Province, announced traffic violations by pedestrians and non-motor vehicles will be recorded into personal credit records on Monday, in an effort to ensure road safety.

Xu Wei, vice head of the traffic police under the Shenzhen public security bureau, said the department is cooperating with a third-party credit assessment company to establish a traffic credibility database, which will be accessible to different platforms that may refer to personal credit, such as the dating web sites.

He said credit records will directly affect people's activities such as getting a license, joining the car license plate lottery or applying for residence permits. ' The credit system will be promoted in sectors including education, banks, and insurance, so traffic violations may affect people in areas such as employment and obtaining a loan, he said.

Information on overdue payments for traffic violations will be recorded into the credit system. People who have been punished more than once and those who refuse to cooperate with traffic enforcement will have their credit influenced as well, according to Xu.

Currently in China, the credit system is mainly used in the financial sector and is still in its infancy. The country is attaching more emphasis on credit and is planning to build an integrated platform by 2017 to share credit information on financial status, social security payments, traffic violations and other criteria.

Traffic police in Shenzhen started a campaign to crackdown on traffic violations by pedestrians and non-motor vehicles since the beginning of August. A total of 25,000 violations were found as of August 27. More than 5,000 people have paid fines and around 3,000 people failed to pay in time.

The move was applauded by many. Song Ce, a lawyer with Xingjunda law firm in Guangdong, said the move can improve enforcement of traffic laws and effectively deter violations.

Some also cast doubt over the policy, with many internet users criticized it as too cruel a punishment for traffic violators.

A credibility system has great influence on people's life and social activities, Xiong Renwu, a lawyer at Zhijie law firm, said.

"It requires legal authorization before using it as a social management tool," he said, "the decision should be made by the city's legislators instead of the traffic department."

Li Guangqun, an official with the city's traffic police, said the information incorporated into the credibility system is allowed to be published by administrative laws.

"The credit system is just an objective description of people which is more of a reference than a punishment. Other organizations can choose on their own whether to refer to it or not," he said.

Chen Yanyan, professor with Beijing University of Technology, said the policy may have a better deterring effect for well-educated people. "For the poorly-educated who know nothing about credit system, fines may be more effective," she said.

Chen suggested the government also make efforts to improve traffic facilities and urban planning in order to more effectively ensure traffic safety. Endi