During the May Day holiday, is safety a priority or the top priority for those on the road?

Recently, the Ministry of Transport issued a notice that during the 2025 “May Day” holiday, small passenger vehicles with seven seats or fewer (including seven seats) will continue to be exempt from expressway tolls. The toll-free period will run from 0:00 on May 1 to 24:00 on May 5, totaling five days.

The May Day holiday coincides with the peak tourist season, and traffic for self-driving tours and visiting relatives and friends is expected to increase significantly. Coupled with the toll-free policy, expressways are anticipated to see a surge in short-to-medium-distance self-driving trips, with high traffic volumes on the road network.

I. Lessons from others: a distressing hot-topic accident.

On the eve of April Fools' Day, a news report about a fire accident caused by three female college students driving a popular internet-famous car at high speed into a guardrail on the Dezhou Expressway's Chichi section (within Tongling, Anhui) was shared and discussed by tens of thousands of self-media accounts.

According to official reports, the vehicle was traveling at 116 km/h when the road was diverted to the opposite lane due to construction. The intelligent driving system detected obstacles and decelerated, but after the driver took over, the vehicle still crashed into a concrete barrier at 97 km/h. The vehicle caught fire after the collision, and three female university students inside were killed.

After the accident, the victims' families spoke out online, calling on netizens to help share their posts, which quickly sparked widespread doubts about the popular internet-famous car.

Netizens focused on three major questions: Why did the intelligent driving system fail to avoid the collision? Why did the vehicle catch fire so rapidly? Why couldn't the doors be opened in time after the accident? For a time, various voices intermingled, becoming a topic of casual conversation among everyone.

Navigating the world, on the journey of life, preparation ensures success, while lack of it leads to failure. In everything we do, being prepared beforehand leads to success, and being unprepared leads to failure. One cannot rely on luck to get by.

II. Intelligent driving does not mean being a "hands-off boss"; safety first is the only way.

1. Intelligent Driving (Smart Driving): Intelligent driving is a comprehensive concept that encompasses driving methods utilizing various technological means, such as sensors, algorithms, and communications, to enhance the automotive driving experience and safety. Intelligent driving is not merely simple automated operation; it also includes the interaction between the vehicle and the external environment (such as other vehicles, road infrastructure, etc.) as well as intelligent analysis of driving scenarios.

Drivers must remain alert, as the system may proactively request takeover. Application scenarios: automatic lane changing, ramp merging, urban NOA (Navigate on Autopilot), and highway pilot driving. Technology is not omnipotent, and safety always remains in the hands of the driver. However, if used improperly, it can become a safety hazard.

According to China’s Classification Standard for Automotive Driving Automation, intelligent driving is divided into six levels, from L0 to L5. L0 to L2 are considered assisted driving, requiring full human supervision throughout. L3 to L5 progressively shift to system-led operation. L5 represents fully driverless driving.

2. Essential Conditions for Safely Engaging Intelligent Driving

Pre-departure checks: Ensure sensors are clean and unobstructed. Familiarize yourself with functional operations before activation.

3. Precautions While Driving:

(1) Keep both hands on the steering wheel and be ready to take over at any time.

(2) Keep your eyes on the road and avoid distracted driving, such as using a mobile phone or looking down for extended periods.

(3) Proactively anticipate risks. For example, on sharp curves, the system may be unable to steer precisely, so you should slow down in advance and be ready to take over. Even when automatic car-following is activated in congested sections, you should stay alert to sudden braking by the vehicle ahead. The lane-change and overtaking system may experience delays in changing lanes, so it is advisable to manually confirm that it is safe behind you.

4. Handling Special Scenarios

(1) Construction zone: Slow down in advance and take over manually to pass through.

(2) Severe weather: Disable the intelligent driving function and switch to manual driving.

(3) Blurred or missing lane markings: the system may fail and immediate takeover is required.

(4) If the system exhibits abnormalities, such as frequent lane departure or unintended acceleration, exit intelligent driving by braking or steering.

5. Legal Regulation of Accident Liability

Under current regulations, liability for autonomous driving accidents still rests with the driver (L2/L3 levels). Over-reliance on the system resulting in an accident may lead to insurance claim denial or legal liability.

III. Safe highway travel: Follow these steps

1. Pay attention to traffic information and travel conveniently during off-peak hours.

During the May Day holiday, if you're driving, tune in to the local traffic radio broadcast to get real-time updates on highway conditions across the province. In case of an accident or sudden vehicle breakdown while driving, remember the nine-word warning: Move the car to the side, evacuate people, and call the police immediately.

Pull over: If the vehicle can still move, move it quickly to the emergency lane on the right, then turn on the hazard lights and place a warning triangle at least 150 meters behind the vehicle.

Evacuate the people: Regardless of whether the vehicle can be moved, drivers and passengers should not remain inside the vehicle or linger on the highway; they should quickly move to a safe area.

Call the police immediately: After passengers and drivers have evacuated to a safe area, call the traffic accident emergency number 12122 for assistance.

2. Revere the rules, and gain new insights through review.

Set up your navigation in advance; do not rush out in a hurry.

★Accelerate before merging onto the main road;

★When changing lanes to overtake, accelerate and be sure to use your turn signal. Do not block the car behind you or force it to brake.

★ Try to drive in the middle lane;

★Beware of long downhill sections;

★ Normal following distance: According to legal regulations, when the speed exceeds 100 km/h, a distance of 100 meters must be maintained.

★When passing a ramp exit, drive in the left lane; to exit the expressway, change to the right lane at least 500 meters in advance.

★ Always keep the principles of safe driving in mind.

4. Common causes of collision with fixed objects in traffic accidents

The road traffic system is a dynamic, composite system composed of people, vehicles, and roads/environment. According to foreign experts’ research on the degree of influence of various factors on road traffic accidents, human-related causes account for 93%–94%, vehicle-related causes account for 8%–12%, and road-related causes account for approximately 28%–34%, which indicates that humans are the key factor in accidents.

1. Excessive speed;

2. Slow to notice obstacles, took emergency evasive action, and sharply turned the steering wheel to swerve around them, causing the vehicle to change direction;

3. Emergency braking;

4. Failing to concentrate while driving, including behaviors that affect safe driving such as making or answering handheld phone calls, watching videos, picking up, holding, or passing items, lighting cigarettes, eating or drinking;

5. Mechanical failures (brake failure, steering failure, tire blowouts, etc.);

7. The impact of roads, time, and climate on safe driving;

8. Driving while fatigued;

9. Insufficient safe sight distance;

10. The impact of the positions of vehicles parked on the road and obstacles piled on the road surface on safe driving;

11. Vehicles parked on the road and obstacles piled on the road surface fail to have warning signs placed or set up, or the signs are placed or set up in incorrect positions.

5. Safety Lawyer’s Reminder

The skillful swimmer drowns, the skilled rider falls—each through their own fondness brings disaster upon themselves. Safety prevention work is a long and arduous journey, and we must strive to reduce the number of people who say “I never expected that” and the occurrences of things that “could never have been imagined.” With persistent effort, success will eventually be achieved. Whether you have already become a truly seasoned driver or are still on the road to becoming one, in the face of safety, always maintain a mindset of reverence and humility. Here, the author hopes that every driver can remain highly vigilant at all times, abandon any mentality of relying on luck, and on the right path take the safest actions to do the right things—ensuring that while on the road, safety is both the foundation and the paramount priority!
 

Motto: The wise are precise in law, the enlightened value teachers. With a selfless spirit, pursue profound expertise in the craft.

Attorney Li Zuolin, member of the Communist Party of China, Lawyer's Practice Certificate No.: 14403202110325450. Specializes in criminal defense and work safety management. Since 2000, he has worked at a government-affiliated institution in Shenzhen. With over 20 years of work experience in Shenzhen, he has accumulated extensive social connections and a strong reputation. He specializes in corporate criminal crime prevention, work safety management, as well as administrative disputes, civil compensation, and other legal affairs. He currently serves as permanent legal counsel for multiple companies.