DIY crash procedure cuts jams in Beijing

Of the many rules and regulations introduced by the Beijing government to ease the city's traffic problems, one of the simplest seems to be having the most effect: allowing car drivers to handle their own minor bumps.

Wang Li, deputy director of the city's traffic management bureau, said at a news briefing yesterday, that since the implementation last July of a rapid handling procedure for minor road accidents, the number of traffic jams in the city caused by them has fallen by 60 percent.

Under the procedure, in the event of a minor collision drivers are required to move their cars from the middle of the road, and then wait for traffic police to arrive or reach an agreement on compensation between themselves.