SHENZHEN traffic police confirmed the identities of 125 traffic violators in the courier and delivery industry Tuesday, the first day they used the facial-recognition system to punish violators.
The first violation was captured at the intersection of Guohua Road and Guihua Road in Futian District when a courier rode his e-bike through a red light. The system identified the violator as a delivery man surnamed He who worked for the JD logistics service.
The courier faces a fine of 100 yuan (US$15.71), and police have sent a notice to him via text message.
Police started to use facial-recognition tech to check violations April 23 by installing 40 sets of the systems at intersections.
During the grace period, which ended Monday, 368 red light violations and 504 violations of e-bikes illegally entering motorist lanes were checked.
The police databank has so far collected 50,000 pieces of vehicle information involving employees working in the courier and delivery industry.
To further reduce the number of fatal accidents involving e-bikes, Shenzhen traffic police will force e-bike drivers in the courier and delivery industry to wear helmets while driving.
The rule will take effect May 16 after a one-week grace period between May 10 and 15.
Chen Yun, an officer with the Motorbike Banning and E-bike Restriction Office of the Shenzhen Municipal Traffic Police Bureau, said drivers engaged in water, gas and food delivery and courier services who fail to wear helmets while driving will be disqualified from registry qualification, which means they will be disqualified from driving on restricted roads.
Police will also release the name of a delivery company to the public if three of its employees violate traffic rules in a month.
There are around 2.8 million e-bikes running on Shenzhen’s roads. Statistics showed 40 percent of fatal accidents involve e-bikes. Between January and April this year, the city reported 136 e-bike-related accidents and 35 people were killed, accounting for 38 percent of the total fatal accidents.
The head is the most vulnerable part of the body. If an e-bike runs at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour and is involved in an accident, the driver could easily hurt the head and brain. Wearing a helmet can prevent brain damage by 85 percent, according to police.
Among the fatalities this year, 27 people died of brain damage.