Latest judicial guideline is not a letup on drunken driving

The Supreme People's Court issued a pilot guideline on the penalties for drunken driving recently, which stipulates that offenses that cause very little harm to society should not be considered crimes, and thus be exempt from the penalties set out for dangerous driving in the Criminal Law.

It is reasonable to argue that all cases of drunken driving should not be treated the same, as the circumstances differ. That is why the new guideline grants judges the discretion to decide whether someone caught driving under the influence of alcohol should be held criminally responsible, taking into account how drunk the driver was, how recklessly he or she was driving and the extent of any damage they may have done.

However, the high court's decision has sparked concern among many, as they interpret it as a softening of the harsh stance taken by the authorities since 2011, when drunken driving was made a crime under the amended Criminal Law and Road Traffic Safety Law.