Hoping to see the light of traffic rules

Drivers must treat yellow as the new red, Yang Wanli, Jiang Xueqing and Hu Yongqi report in Beijing.

Speed up or slow down? That was the question Wang Xueliang pondered as he approached the traffic lights.

The 45-year-old driver hesitated for a few seconds before stepping on the brakes and stopping his car at an intersection on Beijing's Chang'an Avenue, even though the traffic light was still green.

The light turned yellow a split second later.

For many drivers, passing through traffic intersections has become a guessing game since New Year's Day.

From Jan 1, new traffic regulations mean all drivers in China that run a yellow light will have six points deducted from the 12 allocated to their license.

Drivers who forfeit 12 points over a calendar year will have to attend training courses and take exams organized by the local traffic management bureau.

The rule was branded "China's harshest traffic rule" by many online observers.

Each violation is punished according to a sliding scale of point deduction, relative to the severity of the offense. Drivers who run yellow lights will receive the same six-point penalty as those who run red lights.

The revised rule also enacts strict punishments for speeding, covering up the license plate, making phone calls while driving, and drunken driving. The penalty for covering up a license plate is 12 points. In addition, an additional 14 violations have been added to the books, raising the number of possible violations to 52 from the previous 38.