Coordinating traffic flow

"Before the new regulation came into force, the authorities should have installed flashing green lights or countdown timers at every intersection to help drivers prepare to stop," said Wang Shufeng, associate professor of physics at Peking University, who has been driving for more than 10 years. "The heart of the matter is giving people enough time to respond to the signal changes,"

He said that enacting regulations before making the necessary preparations, such as putting the right hardware in place, is inappropriate.

"The core of the traffic regulations is not obedience to the law, but coordinating people's relations on the road, improving the traffic capacity and ensuring safety," he said.

A busy street in downtown Beijing. Some drivers stop while the yellow light shines, others do not. [Photo by Zou Hong / China Daily]

However, not all drivers are against the new regulations. Some showed their support by pointing out that it's dangerous to pass through the yellow light and people should slow down, rather than accelerate, if they think the traffic lights are about to change.

"When I was a rookie driver, I always slowed down and halted when the yellow light was showing. For me, safety was paramount. But some drivers behind me would sound their horns to make me move on, and that was really annoying," said Li Yufang, of Hefei, the capital of Anhui province. "Rookie drivers may make mistakes and cause accidents if they are nervous, so maybe this regulation will prevent people from driving too quickly."

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