Police cameras catch trucks going too slow on expressways
Trucks driving too slow on expressways when there is no congestion could pose a danger, so traffic police have upgraded their smart cameras in a bid to crack down on such driving.
At several points on the city’s expressways, new traffic cameras now watch out for truck drivers who illegally drive at least 20 percent below the lowest speed limit.
Since August 1, the cameras have caught over 120 such offenses, police said on Tuesday.
Offenders will be fined 200 yuan (US$30) and three points will be deducted from their driving licenses.
At 3:45am on May 23, the driver of a heavy truck was killed after crashing into the rear end of another heavy truck on the G1501 Expressway. The truck he collided with was moving at only 28 to 38 kilometers per hour, while the lowest speed allowed on the expressway is 60 kilometers per hour, police said.
Police said these offenses usually take place at night due to the overloading of goods on trucks, and tired drivers — most of the offenses caught on police cameras in August happened between 10:30pm and 5:30am.
The lowest speed recorded was 21 kilometers per hour from a truck driver on the Outer Ring Road at 5:52am on August 30.
China’s traffic laws allow motor vehicles to drive just 20 percent below the lowest speed limit on an expressway. Lower speeds are only allowed during road maintenance work, traffic accidents, congestion or bad weather conditions.