China to expand drink driving checks

BEIJING - Police will include drunk driving checks on drivers in rural areas and those riding motorcycles during the upcoming eight-day National Day holiday, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The Mid-autumn Day plus National Day combo-holiday runs from Sept 30 to Oct 7, with hundreds of millions of Chinese people expected to travel.

According to a statement released Friday by the traffic bureau under the ministry, drunk driving check points will be set up along county and village roads in addition to national and provincial routes. These checks, usually conducted once per day after suppertime, will extend to lunchtime and early morning.

Besides drivers of small-sized automobiles, drivers of motorcycles, tricars and cargo buses will also be subject to the alcohol screening, said the statement.

Official figures show that police across China handled 368,000 drunk driving cases, a 40-percent drop year-on-year, in the year from May 1, 2011, when an amended Criminal Law that imposes stricter punishments for the offense took effect.

According to Friday's statement, police across the country will also adopt various measures to ease traffic jams during the holiday, including more personnel to guide traffic flows at key routes and green channels that ensure a free pass for small-sized passenger buses.