Chinese police in the city of Shenzhen have begun punishing car drivers who misuse their headlights and confuse other road users by asking them to stare into the full-beam headlights of a police car for one minute. The offenders are also fined in addition to this.
The penalty was first announced on China’s equivalent of Twitter, Sino Weibo, by officers in 2014, but was quickly stopped amid accusations of human rights violation.
It was however re-introduced on Tuesday by Shenzen police after making an announcement which was met with approval from a majority of Sino Weibo’s 261 million active users.
Shenzen police warned that any driver caught using their car’s headlights on full-beam inappropriately would have to stare into a police car’s headlights for 60 seconds while sitting on a specially-designed chair. They also said offenders would be fined 300 yuan, lose points on their license and be made to recite regulations on the proper use of headlights.
Shenzen which is located north of Hong Kong is seen as a modern city at the forefront of car engineering. It is known across China for making widespread use of electric taxis and buses.
