Once upon a time, when we drove our cars on city roads full of traffic, we couldn't help but slow down and give way to passers-by who were walking on the sidewalk.

This practice, which originated from ancient etiquette, not only reflects the basic respect for the safety of pedestrians, but also embodies the good expectation of maintaining the orderly operation of urban traffic.

However, on a sunny morning not long ago, Xiao Li was driving to work when he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a man in front of him suddenly running onto the roadway, and he had to use his strength to slam on the brakes, making a "squeak" sharp brake sound, and almost collided with the man in a terrifying head-on.

Xiao Li felt angry at that time, and he couldn't wait to get out of the car and scold that person severely.

Xiao Li's experience is not unique. Nowadays, with the rapid growth of the number of motor vehicles in urban areas of the mainland, the uncivilized driving habits of some pedestrians have seriously affected the traffic order, making traffic congestion and accidents occur frequently, and it has almost become the norm in society.

People of insight have pointed out that against this background, it is really unreasonable and unconvincing to continue to insist that motorists give way to pedestrians.

A netizen who calls himself an "old car captain" took to social media: "As a professional driver, I can't stand the contempt of some pedestrians for traffic rules.

For example, not following the instructions at a pedestrian crossing and walking directly through the traffic is simply child's play.

The historical origin of giving way to pedestrians

In fact, the seemingly simple traffic rule of giving way to pedestrians can be traced back to the long-standing Chinese etiquette culture. In ancient times, walking was the only mode of transportation for people, and failure to be courteous to each other would lead to endless conflicts and strife.

Therefore, the ancients attached great importance to the moral cultivation of "courtesy" and "letting", and regarded it as the basis for the operation of society.

In modern society, the advent of automobiles, bicycles and other means of transportation has made roads extremely congested. In order to effectively protect the personal safety of pedestrians, in 2016, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Security jointly issued a document called "Notice on Comprehensively Doing a Good Job in Road Traffic Safety", which for the first time clarified the legal status of "courtesy to pedestrians" as a traffic rule, and made provisions on penalties such as demerit points and fines for violations.

Since then, the rule of giving way to pedestrians has been officially written into national law and has become a code of conduct that motorists should consciously abide by. An old driver named Master Zhao told us: "Although it is sometimes irritating to encounter some pedestrians who are on a rampage, we still choose to slow down and give way out of basic reverence for life and compliance with laws and regulations.

After all, this is the basic cultivation of every quality driver.

There is a reason why car owners are questioning the rules

However, as the urbanization process on the mainland continues to accelerate, population pressure and the number of motor vehicles have increased in tandem, resulting in a deteriorating traffic situation. As a result, conflicts between motorists and pedestrians have increased dramatically.

There was a time when Xiao Zhang had to encounter some "charging pedestrians" walking through the traffic on his way to and from work every day. Some people even openly crossed the road at a red light, ignoring the presence of surrounding vehicles.

Xiao Zhang recalled the scene at that time, and his face could not help but show a look of distress: "Those people are simply taking their lives as child's play! I have to slam on the brakes, otherwise the end will be unimaginable."

But once there is an accident, nine percent of the responsibility will be counted on the head of our driver.

Another private car owner, Mr. Wang, echoed the sentiments. He said that under the current traffic laws, whether the accident is caused by the recklessness of a pedestrian or a sudden technical failure of the vehicle, he as a driver often has to pay for it.

"Is it reasonable that we're just driving normally and have to pay a heavy price for the mistakes of others?" Mr. Wang asked rhetorically.

In the face of such a passive situation, anger has been accumulating in the hearts of car owners for a long time. For a time, calls for the abolition of the "courtesy to pedestrians" rule were high. They believe that this outdated regulation has lost its legitimacy and has backfired the unreasonable behavior of some pedestrians.

Unilateral concessions not only deprive the vehicle itself of its due priority, but also lack restraint on the uncivilized behavior of pedestrians, and must be re-established with realistic new norms.

Experts recommend canceling the rules

The voices of car owners soon attracted wide attention from all walks of life. As authoritative figures in the field of transportation, some senior experts have also begun to analyze and judge the pros and cons of the "give way to pedestrians" rule.

At an expert seminar at a university in Shanghai, a retired professor surnamed Zhang expressed his opinion.

Professor Zhang analyzed in detail the difficulties encountered by the rule of "courtesy to pedestrians" in reality. He said that when some pedestrians began to flout traffic lights and even traverse in traffic, unilateral courtesy would be tantamount to condoning their reckless behaviour and would only exacerbate the chaos on the road.

"In such a situation, continuing to force drivers to give way is a violation of the lives of others. Professor Zhang pointed out bluntly.

Another panelist took a different view. The middle-aged man, surnamed Li, believes that although some misdeeds of pedestrians have caused trouble to traffic order, the abolition of the "give way to pedestrians" rule is not necessarily a good solution.

"We can't deny the value of the whole rule just because of individual cases. "The original intention of this regulation is to protect the safety of pedestrians' lives and property, and once it is completely abolished, the rights and interests of pedestrians on the road cannot be guaranteed."

In response to the differences between the two sides, Professor Zhang further elaborated his views. He said that the so-called "cancellation" is actually a biased statement, and it should be an appropriate revision or adjustment of the rules.

For example, in some special circumstances, some exception clauses can be clarified, so as to not only protect the basic rights and interests of pedestrians, but also promote the orderly operation of urban transportation.

"In general, our starting point should be to develop a practical and operational legal system, so that the rights and obligations of each traffic participant can be clear at a glance, and avoid contradictions and confrontations.

Professor Zhang concluded.

Obviously, the discussion of this topic among experts continues, but the divergence of their views also brings new perspectives to the public.

Possible consequences of cancellation rules

However, before considering whether to abolish or modify the "give way to pedestrians" rule, it is necessary to carefully consider what kind of impact and impact this may have on the city's traffic order.

First of all, once this rule is completely abolished, the original traffic order on urban roads will inevitably be completely disrupted. Without the restraint of the law, some pedestrians with poor quality are likely to become more reckless and rampage through traffic, which will bring great safety hazards to themselves and other pedestrians around them.

There was a tragedy in which an elderly man crossed the road recklessly without obeying the traffic signal, was hit by a sudden car and fell to the ground, and eventually died.

If the driver no longer needed to consider the factor of "giving way to pedestrians", he might have been able to take effective emergency avoidance measures in time to avoid this tragedy.

It can be seen that if there are blind spots and defects in the rules, it is likely to lead to irreparable serious consequences.

On the other hand, if the "give way to pedestrians" rule is really abolished, drivers may also completely lose their sense of courtesy to pedestrians and become ruthless. Once there is a hit-and-run, I am afraid that it will further aggravate the occurrence of urban traffic accidents.

We have to admit that the transportation system is an intricate organic whole that needs to be maintained by all participants. Therefore, regardless of whether the "give way to pedestrians" rule is adjusted or not, we must adhere to one of the most basic principles: to ensure the fairness and reasonableness of traffic laws and regulations, and to promote the orderly operation of urban traffic on the premise of safeguarding the basic rights and interests of pedestrians.

Only in this way can the contradiction between drivers and pedestrians be truly resolved and the dynamic balance of the interests of all parties can be achieved.

In short, the reform must not stop at abolishing an outdated regulation, but should focus more on establishing a complete set of scientific, rational, and operable new rules and systems, so as to eliminate hidden dangers to personal safety and ensure the safe and efficient operation of urban road traffic.

Regulations must be adhered to

Looking back at the current urban traffic pattern, it is not difficult to find an astonishing fact: pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, private cars and other modes of transportation are wrestling with each other on limited road resources.

This highly mixed situation has brought great pressure and challenges to the normal operation of the city. Therefore, formulating a set of fair and reasonable traffic laws and regulations and implementing them in place is the fundamental solution to the problem.

For those pedestrians who are unreasonable and ignore traffic rules, we must severely punish them according to the law in order to demonstrate the authority of the law. Last year, Xiao Li witnessed such a scene: a middle-aged man with a child, rushing towards the green light of the traffic directly across the street, the child was almost hit by a turning truck.

In the end, the public security officers took the misbehaving parent back to the center and imposed a corresponding fine.

Xiao Li said that this is undoubtedly a positive teaching material, giving a powerful warning to pedestrians who intentionally or unintentionally violate the rules. Because only by allowing everyone to be bound by the law can the traffic of the whole city maintain a healthy and orderly operation.

As one senior legal expert put it: "Across the globe, in both developed and developing countries, pedestrian misconduct is punished accordingly because it concerns the environment in which everyone lives."

For drivers, it is also necessary to strengthen supervision at all levels to ensure that they always adhere to the basic qualities of civilized driving and polite driving.

For example, the penalties for violations can be further increased, more eye-catching warning signs can be set up on major roads, and drivers can be regularly organized to participate in relevant regulations and ethics training, so that they can fully realize that giving way to pedestrians is not only a moral bottom line, but also a need to protect their own interests.

In general, whether it is retained, cancelled, or appropriately revised to the "courtesy to pedestrians" rule, it is related to the vital interests of every city resident, and affects the operational efficiency and people's livelihood and well-being of the entire city.

Therefore, we have the responsibility and obligation to make suggestions for the formulation of practical new traffic rules, and to achieve the greatest balance between the interests of all parties while balancing the pros and cons.

Some readers may hold the view of "conforming to the tide of the times and canceling the old rules"; It may also be argued that this rule, even with some exceptions, should be followed by the rule in general.

Whatever your opinion, please feel free to share your insights by leaving a comment below this article. Your valuable input will add new ideas and perspectives to this important topic.

For example, some netizens gave feedback: "As an ordinary citizen who commutes by car for a long time, I am angry at the reckless behavior of pedestrians. However, if the 'give way to pedestrians' rule is completely abolished, the practice of arbitrarily allowing motorists is a bit too extreme.

This netizen suggested that it may be possible to make appropriate adjustments to the details of the rules and clarify the exception clauses for some special circumstances.

I believe that through the participation and extensive discussion of the whole society, we will be able to bring new enlightenment to this topic. Whether you agree or disagree, your voice will be heard and will bring new ideas to the relevant decision-making departments.

Let us join hands to call for civilized traffic and create a safe and orderly home.

Rather than simply "retaining" or "canceling", it is best to formulate a new, more scientific and reasonable system of traffic laws. Such a system should be fair, transparent and realistic, clarify the rights and obligations of each participant, and avoid contradictory situations of mutual confrontation.

Only in this way can our urban road traffic continue to move towards civilized, safe and efficient directions.

Looking forward to your participation, we will use courage and wisdom to write a new chapter of traffic civilization!