Jaywalkers in Jinan get high-tech slap in face

It is common in China to see a crowd of pedestrians or nonmotorized vehicles crossing a street even when the light is red. Now the authorities will know who they are.

Traffic police in Jinan, Shandong province, recently installed facial recognition equipment at street intersections to go after jaywalkers and other violators.

"When pedestrians or drivers of nonmotorized vehicles run a red light, the equipment will take four snapshots and a 15-second video," said Wei Jinghuo, director of the Jinan traffic police technology service center. "Jaywalkers can usually be identified the same day by comparing the images with those in the databases of the public security authorities.