Video of traffic accidents on China’s streets sends alarm and creeps
The police of Heze, a city in eastern Shandong province, has uploaded a compilation of raw footage that documented the most horrific road accidents on the city’s streets. So far, the video has attracted tens of millions of visits. Some people say it is the most hard-hitting and effective way to educate Chinese people the importance of observing rules of the road, while others object to the graphic and explicit video, which they find inappropriate and cruel.
Most common ways in China to raise people’s awareness of road traffic safety include hanging banners, erecting signs and playing educational discs. However, Heze’s police have decided to upload the footage of road accidents in real life to achieve the same purpose.
(Ministry of Tofu posted two similar videos and discussed high incidence of traffic accidents and fatalities last December. Please visit here.)
The video includes 20 typical road accidents in the city of Heze, most of which took place in the second half of 2010. Police has analyzed accountability and cause in each accident.
(Some of the content may cause discomfort. Viewer discretion is advised)
Youtube version
Unblocked Tudou version
Tang Jiachun, Director of Division of Public Relations at Heze’s traffic police department, said that it is a prudential decision made after the department’s serious thoughts.
“Those shallow and mild reminder is far less incisive and effective than such warning. This is also an attempt at creativity made by the police,” Tang said.
Many people say such an in-your-face and dynamic way to present the moments of accidents is very thought-provoking. A net user commented, “No matter how loud the bullhorn is or how many flyers are sent, the impression left is not as deep as watching these videos. It strikes people how important it is to obey the traffic rules.” Another commenter wrote, “Most accidents were caused by pedestrians, non-motor vehicles or electrical bikes that ran the red light. We must from now on observe traffic lights before crossing the streets.”
Despite the warning message at the beginning of the video, which says, “Some content may cause discomfort. Viewer discretion is advised,” it has nevertheless come in for criticism of the unflattering and even hideous scenes. One commenter said that a child’s cry is disturbing to him.
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yeah it looks like a lot of the accidents are caused by : careening taxis taking left turns into traffic, peasants swerving around every obstacle regardless of where they are, what light is shining, what time of day it is and … pardon me … FKN idiots on bikes flying through traffic (like the one with two babies on the back?!).
besides showing people the consequences of not looking both ways, another factor I believe plays a role:
– cops unable to justly arbitrate an accident
– perps unable to accept responsibility and instead demanding compensation
– overall inability of the society to recognize fault in an accident and instead relying on "who yells loudest" or "who has the most contacts in their cellphone" to determine what happened.
What provokes the most, is the fact that noone seems to care a bit. Noone stops and help the victims. Maby thats a standart issue what matters the one-child policy; everyone for them selves! Selfish ego-trippers…