PEOPLE involved in traffic accidents in Futian no longer need to pay for mediation costs with the trialing of a new mechanism in the district.

The so-called "people's mediation system" is designed to reduce the burden on police and allow people involved in road accidents, particularly minor ones, to settle disputes in a relatively problem-free and easy way, provincial traffic police authorities told a conference Tuesday.

People now making a road accident claim usually have to file a lawsuit to settle the dispute, which is both time and energy-consuming.

The downtown areas of major cities in Guangdong Province are becoming increasingly congested with motor vehicles, leading to a growing number of minor traffic accidents. Of all the traffic accidents recorded in the province this year, more than 90 percent were minor.

Under the new program subsidized by the Futian District Government, the district legal affairs bureau will hire four lawyers as mediators who will work side by side with a Futian District Traffic Police Brigade officer, offering free legal advice and mediation. The service will be available seven days a week.

The mediation process will take a maximum of 15 days if both parties have no objections, traffic police said.

The new program will be expanded to the whole province if the Futian trial is successful.

Of the 234 traffic accident disputes handled by the Futian District Traffic Police Brigade since the trial began, 99.15 percent were settled through mediation, involving more than 4 million yuan (US$585,800). The biggest sum involved in a single case was more than 520,000 yuan.

So far, all mediation protocols issued by the people's mediation office have been recognized by courts and insurance companies thanks to support from the Futian District People's Court and the district insurance regulatory commission, the Southern Metropolis Daily said.

Source:Shenzhen Daily