China's first Road Traffic Safety Law ratchets up punishment for rule breakers but has also caused controversy.

With in excess of 104,000 deaths resulting from traffic accidents last year, China has recorded the world's largest number of auto-related fatalities. Traffic accidents rank as the seventh biggest cause of death in the country.

Implemented on May 1, the new law has attracted much attention from the media and society at large. Since it was implemented, Beijing has seen its first driver banned from driving for life after fleeing the scene of a fatal accident.

The penalty for drunk drivers has risen to imprisonment of less than 15 days and suspension of licence from 3 to 6 months, plus a fine of up to 2,000 yuan (US$61-242).

Driving without safety belts carries a fine of 200 yuan (US$24). Pedestrians who go against the red light can be fined 50 yuan (US$6), 10 times the fine before.

The law stipulates that automobiles should give way to pedestrians on roads without traffic lights. Automobile drivers must take responsibility even if it is the pedestrian who has broken the law.

Meanwhile, the proposed Beijing Road Traffic Safety Management Statute has been publicized, inviting suggestions from citizens. Some rules have created controversy.

One of them is an article stipulating that new drivers, in the first year they obtain a driving licence, should drive only on the furthest right lane of the road.

Some citizens have complained that the rule makes it difficult for new licence holders to drive properly. Meanwhile, some argue that many drivers holding a licence for more than a year do not necessarily have enough driving experience.

The statute will be considered in July before implementation.

The number of private cars on the streets of Beijing has now surpassed 1 million. It has been rising at an astounding average rate of around 1,000 per day so far this year.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, the number of accidents is still on the rise.