The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional festival for respecting and caring for the elderly. While caring for their physical health, it is also crucial to pay attention to their travel safety.
On October 29, The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) learned from the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau Traffic Management Corps that since 2025, in Shanghai, 58.7% of fatal traffic accidents caused by serious violations by non-motorized vehicles or pedestrians involved drivers aged 60 or older, with 80% of these being elderly Shanghai residents. Among the causes of these accidents, running red lights was the most prominent violation, accounting for 38.7%, followed by various other accidents such as failing to yield, driving against traffic, and speeding.
In August 2025, a traffic accident occurred in Xuhui District. At the time of the accident, it was raining. Grandma Chen was riding an electric bicycle with her granddaughter as a passenger along Caobao Road from west to east when she ran a red light at the intersection of Humin Road and collided with a light-duty enclosed truck traveling from north to south. The accident resulted in multiple fractures and internal organ injuries to Grandma Chen, while her granddaughter sustained minor injuries and was fortunately not in life-threatening condition.
After investigation, the Xuhui traffic police determined that Ms. Chen was riding an electric bicycle and went straight through the intersection when the light was red, failing to follow the traffic signal instructions, which caused the accident. She bears the main responsibility for this traffic accident.
Songjiang traffic police conducted a traffic safety awareness campaign to promote respect for and care for the elderly. (Photo provided by Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau Traffic Management Corps)
To enhance traffic safety awareness among the elderly and effectively prevent and curb traffic accidents involving them, Shanghai's traffic police department, relying on technology, has been conducting extensive publicity campaigns in communities, canteens, and senior citizen universities in conjunction with various social forces. Simultaneously, it has further strengthened targeted publicity and education for key groups.
The Songjiang Traffic Management Detachment identified over 2,000 elderly individuals with potential safety hazards who had been involved in traffic accidents or committed two or more traffic violations since 2025. Through a joint team-office mechanism, they conducted targeted door-to-door outreach, using methods such as showing accident warning videos and signing safe travel notices to remind the elderly to abide by traffic laws and regulations and travel safely and courteously. The Baoshan Traffic Management Detachment developed a mobile application called "Road Safety Shield," which categorizes elderly individuals into high-risk and medium-risk groups monthly based on their traffic violations and accident records. The application is then distributed to community police officers for targeted door-to-door outreach. Detachments in Fengxian and Chongming districts produced "local dialect" versions of traffic accident warning videos, using regional accents to improve the elderly's acceptance of traffic safety knowledge.
