China's Ministry of Public Security plans a month of round-the-clock scrutiny of passenger vehicles as part of a road safety effort before and during the Spring Festival travel rush.

Starting January 5, local bureaus of the ministry are to register and check every vehicle with seven seats or more and vehicles transporting hazardous chemicals within their jurisdiction.

Vehicles with safety problems must be fixed within a set period or be taken off the road, the ministry said on its website on Wednesday.

Overcrowding, speeding and driving while drunk or fatigued would bring stiff penalties, it said.

The Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, is China's top traditional festival. It is the annual peak season of transportation as well, with tens of millions of people traveling for family reunions.

The festival falls on January 26 and the travel rush is expected to last from January 11 to February 19.

(Xinhua News Agency December 17, 2008)