After a year of preparation, Liuzhou’s electric bicycle management system has proven its worth, with the city seeing a drop in traffic accidents caused by electric bicycles, since last April, when a licensing system was started.

There were 16 traffic accidents involving electric bicycles, in 2011, and as many as 18 people killed. The number of accidents was down to nine in 2012, with nine lives lost and two injured.

The new management system has attracted 460,000 electric bike owners who registered their bikes. The system can track a bike in the event of a wreck or traffic offense. And there is no fee for the license plate, with the local government footing the bill and backing the system with 7 million yuan ($1.14 million). Another 2 million yuan is reportedly on the way.

Edited by Lin Hong and Roger Bradshaw