Nanjing drops life suspension for boozy motorists

The removal of a proposed rule from a local regulation in Jiangsu province which would have imposed a lifelong driving ban on convicted drunken drivers who cause severe accidents has triggered a new wave of controversy about the national campaign to crack down on drunken driving.

The move came although judges and law enforcement officials have sent clear signals through recent court verdicts and the proposal of new regulations that drunken drivers can expect harsher punishments.

Wording that penalized drunken drivers by permanently suspending their licenses and imposing a lifelong ban on driving was removed in the final version of Nanjing's traffic safety regulation, according to the Nanjing Municipal People's Congress, the city's legislature. The new rules take effect May 1.