China's new road rules suspended

Since China's newly-revised road rules came into effect in the new year, the most controversial is the penalty for running yellow lights.

Many drivers say they were left confused, wondering how to know when to stop without warning - or causing an accident.

In response, the Ministry of Public Security said on Sunday that drivers who ignore yellow lights won't be penalized for now - suspending the strictest of China's new road rules.

Following days of public outcry in cyberspace, China's toughest new road safety rule has been put on hold.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, drivers who ignore yellow lights will only receive warnings and education...

And for the time being, won't be penalized.

Under the initial revised traffic rules, those who ignore yellow lights will be fined and penalized.

But drivers complained they would't be able to respond fast enough, as the light changes from green, to yellow.

Others argued the new rule was a recipe, for even more accidents:

SOUNDBITE(CHINESE)MR YAN, Driver

"I saw real-end accident on the first day the new road rules took effect. A car suddenly stopped when seeing yellow light, but another car behind it failed to stop in time and smashed into the front car."

SOUNDBITE(CHINESE) Driver

"Though the penalty for ignoring yellow lights could prevent traffic accidents, it's hard for us green hand to follow the rule. New drivers often struggle to stop in time for the yellow light. And stopping suddenly is dangerous."

Previously, only running red lights was a violation - for which the yellow light was a warning.

SOUNDBITE(CHINESE)LIANG CEN, Citizen

"Yellow lights are meant to warn passengers to slow down before the light turns red. So ignoring yellow light should not cause penalty points."

While drivers found the new rules draconian, many citizens say they might will force drivers, to be more responsible.

On January 1st the new regulations took effect, and many Chinese cities reported a sharp decrease in urban traffic violations...

The Ministry of Public Security says this proves most of the new traffic rules work...

And that it will listen to the public's suggestions on yellow lights and make further rules on traffic light violations.

Under the new rules, ignoring traffic lights now results in six penalty points - doubling the previous punishment.

If a driver receives 12 points in a year, they're required to attend a seven-day training session and sit a written exam, before getting back behind the wheel.

In a country where most people could never have dreamed of owning a car thirty years ago, road safety today remains an uphill battle.

Official figures show more than 62,000 people died in road accidents in 2011 - about 170 deaths, a day.

And every year, about 2,000 new drivers hit the road.

Now, 52 kinds of violations result in penalties, up from 38 previously - an attempt to make roads safer, in the world's most populous country.

China now has the second-highest number of cars in use worldwide... And you can find more about that story online, at cncworld.tv