traffic accident.docx

1、traffic accidentChapter One IntroductionIt is well known that in 2009 Chinas GDP ranked the second in the world only after America (The World Bank). China rise has been an old topic. It only wants to improve its peoples living standard and economy instead of “rising” to be the world super power. On

2、the way to its goals, there are many problems in the way. Road safety and security is one of the most serious ones. According to the state administration of work safety, 110,000 people lose their lives because of traffic accidents in China each year, making China one of the world leaders in terms of

3、 traffic accident-related deaths. Data were taken from the transportation and communities year book of China, road traffic death rate increased by 95 percent from 1985 to 2005 (Barboza, 2011). How could this happen? What are the main causes of this and what could Chinese people do towards this? Firs

4、t here are two traffic accidents in China and the USA. One is “My Father is Li Gang”, (Li Gang, the deputy police chief in Beishi district of Baoding, is the father of Li Qiming. Li Qiming yelled to others that his father is Li Gang after he hit two girls in Hebei university), and the other is about

5、 Donte Stallworth who is a famous football player in America.1.1 One traffic accident: My father is Li GangThis accident happened in Bao Ding China. It has been a catchphrase ever since it was known in public-My Father is Li Gang. Around 10 p.m. last Oct. 16, a 20-year-old student named Chen Xiaofen

6、g was rollerblading with a friend on the grounds of He Bei University, an expanse of new buildings outside Baoding. They were passing a campus grocery when a Volkswagen sedan appeared, racing down the narrow lane. The 22-year-old driver was drunk. He struck the two head on. The hitting sent Ms. Chen

7、 flying and breaking the other girls leg, and then he tried to speed away. Security guards shut the gate to the campus and stopped him, but the driver was undeterred. He warned them, “My father is Li Gang!” (My father is Li Gang, 2010). Ms. Chen was dead the following day. Chen Xiaofeng was a poor f

8、arm girl. The person who has killed her named Li Qiming, is the son of Li Gang, the How deputy police chief in Beishi district of Baoding. Her death in China will usually be silenced by the local government, and they will solve this without going to a court. ever, it was different this time. Even th

9、ough the party propaganda officials moved swiftly after the accident to ensure that the story never gained attraction. They could not make it this time. Li Qimings words and reactions make many Chinese people angry. One month later, a majority of Chinese citizens know the story of Ms. Chens death, a

10、nd “My father is Li Gang” has become a bitter joke that the powerful can flout the rules to which ordinary folk are forced to submit. Increasingly, that grievance focuses on what Chinese mockingly call the “guan er dai” and “fu er dai” - the “second generation,” - children of privileged governmental

11、 officials and the super-rich. The sentence said by Li Qiming wasnt allowed to say in public at first. There was a little information about this accident on the school news channel at first, but then it went completely quiet, one student of Hebei University, who offered only his surname, Wang, said

12、in an interview last week. “Were really disappointed at the press for stopping coverage of this major news.” But the Li Gangs case was hard to suppress, partly because it personified an enduring grievance: the belief that the government tried every means to shape public reaction in more ways than by

13、 simply restricting coverage. After Internet bulletin boards began buzzing with outrage, Chinas national television network, CCTV, broadcast an Oct. 22 interview with Li Gang and his son, filled with effusive apologies for the accident. On Oct. 24, the news media reported that Li Qiming, who had bee

14、n detained by the police the day after the accident, had been arrested (Wines, 2010). People doubted whether justice could be gained or will be undermined by political influence, but Chens family was determined to seek justice for their dead daughter. However, it was very hard. First, they had to fi

15、ght to keep their daughters body intact as evidence. “The police tried to hurry us into cremating the body,” said Chen Lin, the dead girls brother. “They asked us to co-operate with them and have it cremated as soon as possible.” Thats just the beginning. More came soon. Li Gang, father of the accus

16、ed driver, approached the Chens on three separate occasions to apologize and seek an out-of-court settlement. Chen Yumao, an uncle of the dead girl, told the Star that Li Gang met the family on Oct. 19 and tried to persuade them to accept cash in lieu of going to trial. “He said, There are two ways

17、to handle this: we can go through the legal procedure or we can handle it privately,” Chen recalled. “We would give you money, but you have to agree not to sue us.” The family refused (David Baboza, 2011). They went to court eventually. Li Qiming was sentenced to six years in jail according to the r

18、egular traffic laws, which made Chens family angry. Chens family maintained that the driver should be charged with endangering public safety, a felony with the minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, instead of with a regular traffic crime, for which the maximum sentence is seven years. Chens older

19、brother, Chen Lin, who attended the hearing, said: “It is not about whether we are satisfied. It is a matter of the nature of the accident.” That was not a regular traffic accident. The family also accepted 460,000 Yuan (HK$543,000) in compensation and signed a letter of forgiveness in November unde

20、r enormous pressure from local authorities. Li Gangs willingness to offer the compensation and Li Qimings guilty plea were cited by the court as reasons for leniency in the sentence. Li Gang did not attend the hearing yesterday, though two other family members did (Yang & Wong, 2010). Despite a prom

21、ise of an open trial, most mainland media reporters were barred from attending the hearing. Most internet users expressed disappointment with the verdict, with many questioning whether justice was done, so did all Chinese people. It is well known that justice was detained by money and power.1.2 Anot

22、her traffic accident: Donte StallworthThe second example happened in the USA. Donte Stallworth，born November 10, 1980, is an American football wide receiver of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round (13th overall) of the 2002

23、 NFL Draft. He played college football Tennessee. He has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns. He was suspended by the NFL for the 2009 seasons after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter charges in Florida. On the morning of March 14, 2009, a 2005 Bentley

24、 coup driven by Stallworth struck and killed a pedestrian in Miami Beach, Florida. Stall worth was heading towards the beach when he hit Mario Reyes, 59. Police initially investigated the accident further to see if charges against Stallworth would be warranted. Stallworth admitted drinking in the ni

25、ght prior to the accident. According to early reports Stallworth was legally drunk at the time of the accident, news sources reported that his blood alcohol content was 0.12, over the nationwide legal limit of 0.008. Stallworth claims that he flashed his cars headlight to warn Reyes before striking

26、him. A Miami Beach police report said Reyes was not in a crosswalk on busy MacArthur Causeway when he was struck by the black 2005 Bentley Continental GT driven by Stallworth (Brookover, 2007). Police estimated Stallworth was driving at about 50 mph in a 40 mph zone. The construction crane operator

27、was trying to catch a bus home after finishing his shift around 7:15 a.m. Stallworth was charged with DUI wand second degree manslaughter on April 1, 2009; he surrendered to police on April 2, 2009, and was released on $200,000 bail. He pled guilty, and received a sentence of 30 days in jail, plus 1

28、,000 hours of community service, 2 years of house arrest, and 8 years probation. He has also received a life-time suspension of his Florida state drivers license (Donte Stallworth, 2011)Sports story published August 12, 2010, reported that Stallworths lawyers indicated that he could have fought all

29、charges with “an excellent chance of being found innocent ,” but that Stallworth chose to be convicted of a felony to do what he felt was morally right. He ordered his lawyers to accept a plea deal that convicted him of a felony even when evidence showed he had an excellent chance of being innocent.

30、 He said Reyes death was enough of his fault than there shouldnt be a trial and Reyes family shouldnt have to sit in a courthouse and relive his death all over again (Carpenter, 2010). Stallworth said his biggest concern was for the gentlemans daughter. He wanted the family to know that he was remor

31、seful. “He did the right thing” said Boucher, who has known Stall worth since his rookie year of 2002. “Im more proud of him as a friend for the way he handled this than I was before his situation occured.” Perhaps, in this world of athletes who wont be trusted, it is hard to believe Donte Stallwort

32、h is getting a second chance at football (Benoit, 2010). An athlete convicted of second-degree felony manslaughter is rarely worthy of our respect. He Donte Stallworth made it.Li Qiming, the son of a deputy police chief in Beishi district of Baoding, he is so arrogant only because of his fathers pow

33、er and money. he turned a blind eye to what he had commited after he hit two girls, thinking that his father will make him safely walk away from this. He did not even thing that the two girls are two lives instead of something that can be bought by money and power. On the contrary, Donte Stallworth felt guilty after he had hit the guy and he became