Chinese traffic police consider road rage as a major traffic hazard that results in thousands of deaths each year in the country. (Photo : www.citylab.com)
Chinese traffic police have reportedly handled more than 17 million cases involving road rage this year amid efforts of the world’s largest car market to train and equip its drivers with better road etiquette, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
According to the report, most of the cases handled by traffic police include arbitrary lane changes and dangerous overtaking.
During its campaign to educate drivers on the eve of National Traffic Safety Day on Tuesday, Dec. 1, the Ministry of Public Security described road rage as a major traffic safety hazard.
The ministry said that cases involving road rage often result in tragic consequences, although the number of cases handled by police has only risen by 2.8 percent year on year. In 2013, 80,200 accidents were attributed to anger behind the wheel, an increase by 4.9-percent year-on-year. The report said the number further increased by 2.4 percent in 2014.
In May, the Chinese public was stunned by a video showing a male driver who beat a female driver in retaliation for a dangerous lane change. A more recent case involved a driver in Heilongjiang Province who was criticized by the public after intentionally forcing an ambulance to pull over several times.
China has more than 169 million car owners, and the ministry has warned the 322 million drivers in the country that "distracted driving" has caused 21,570 deaths in 2014.
A CNN report in May said that major Chinese cities become congested, which creates frustration and anger among drivers on the streets.
According to government statistics, the rapid economic growth has resulted in a 20-percent jump in private car ownership in 2014 or 105 million cars nationwide.
The report cited a World Health Organization data which estimated that more than 200,000 people die on Chinese roads each year.
Chinese police linked 104 million traffic violations to some form of road rage, ranging from forcibly changing lanes or overtaking other vehicles to failing to yield.
