Since February 22, many expressways in Hunan have experienced varying degrees of congestion due to return peaks. Many drivers and passengers posted on social platforms that they were stuck on the road. On the 23rd, the car owner "Shibazhu" posted that he found more than 20 private cars occupying the emergency lane during the traffic jam. He took pictures one by one and reported them to the Hunan Expressway Transportation Service Convenience Platform. Many people praised this, saying that "if you don't obey traffic rules, you should be supervised and punished."
On the 24th, the reporter contacted the owner of the car "Eighteen Pairs" who posted the car. She told reporters that during the peak return period during the Spring Festival, she took a car from Guangxi back to Wuhan, Hubei, and encountered a congestion of about 6 kilometers on the highway in Hunan. The navigation showed that it would take about an hour to pass. Her family was driving at the time, and she was sitting in the passenger seat. She saw many vehicles occupying the emergency lane unscrupulously, and even caused more vehicles that were originally queuing to follow suit. "Seeing the emergency lane gradually turning into a 'fast lane', I feel that something must be done to stop this trend – the emergency lane is a life channel and should not become a shortcut for speculators, let alone those who queue up and obey the rules to suffer."
Some of the vehicles reported by the owner "Eighteen Marriage". Photo provided by interviewee
Therefore, "Eighteen Marriage" tried to search the reporting channels of Hunan Expressway Traffic Police and discovered the "shoot at will" function. So follow the requirements step by step to report. "Shibazhu" said that she spent more than half an hour and reported more than 20 illegal vehicles. Currently, the system reports that 3 vehicles have failed to report due to unclear features or insufficient clarity in the photos, and the rest are being processed.
The reporter noticed that on the 23rd, the Hunan Expressway Police official Weibo announced that in order to cope with the peak return period during the Spring Festival holiday, the Hunan Expressway Traffic Police temporarily opened emergency lanes on some sections of the expressway. However, the traffic police also reminded drivers to follow the instructions and to avoid occupying emergency lanes during off-peak hours. In this regard, "Eighteen Marriage" told reporters: "None of the things I reported are within the scope of (temporary opening)."
Public information shows that Hunan Expressway Traffic Police carried out a "random shooting" illegal reporting activity from February 2 to March 13, 2026. The content of the report was "driving or parking in the emergency lane under non-emergency circumstances." The reporter called the Hunan Provincial Highway Traffic Police Station to inquire about the matter. The staff said that the content of the "casual shooting" report is currently being processed and will actively verify the content of the report. However, the number of reports during the Spring Festival holiday was too large, and the city and state detachments under its jurisdiction have been notified to handle these reports as soon as possible. "It is still being reviewed and entered, so it will not be that fast."
During holidays, highway traffic volume is high, and periodic and regional congestion often occur. Behind the congestion, the illegal act of occupying the emergency lane not only disrupts traffic order, but also directly threatens the lives and safety of countless people.
laws and regulations
Emergency lanes are mainly set up on both sides of highways or urban expressways, and are dedicated to the rapid passage of police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and engineering rescue vehicles. According to Article 82 of the "Implementation Regulations of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China": Motor vehicles driving on highways are not allowed to drive or park in the emergency lane in non-emergency situations.
Article 9 of the "Measures for the Administration of Scores for Road Traffic Safety Violations" (Order No. 163 of the Ministry of Public Security) stipulates that motor vehicle drivers who commit one of the following traffic violations will be deducted 9 points at a time: Driving a motor vehicle to illegally park on a highway or urban expressway. Article 10 stipulates that if a motor vehicle driver commits one of the following traffic violations, he or she will be deducted 6 points at a time: Driving a motor vehicle while illegally occupying the emergency lane on a highway or urban expressway.
At about 13:00 on October 1 last year, at the upstream entrance of the Shanghai G40 Yangtze River Tunnel, police drones conducted high-altitude inspections of the congested road section. A driver was fined 200 yuan and demerited 6 points for the illegal act of "driving in the emergency lane of the highway during non-emergency situations."
Some drivers have a vague understanding of "emergency lanes can be used in emergencies" and even regard emergency lanes as "shortcuts" in congestion. This concept is both wrong and dangerous. They think they are "in a hurry" and occupy the emergency lane. For example: they are too sleepy after a long drive and want to rest in the emergency lane; they want to stop in the emergency lane to set up navigation when they take the wrong road; they are tired from driving and stop in the emergency lane to change drivers; it is too congested and use the emergency lane to overtake, etc.
What situations qualify as “emergency situations”?
The regulations are clear:
1) Only when a motor vehicle encounters a traffic accident or breaks down and cannot drive normally, and needs to stop to troubleshoot and wait for rescue;
2) When the driver or passengers suddenly become ill and need emergency medical treatment;
3) Emergency lanes can only be used in accordance with the law when encountering special circumstances such as emergency military missions, rescue and disaster relief.
In addition, any behavior that occupies the emergency lane on the grounds of being in a hurry, for convenience, or for a short break is illegal and must bear corresponding legal responsibilities.
Safety reminder
The emergency lane is called the "life channel", and whether it is smooth or not is directly related to the rescue efficiency in traffic accidents. Occupying the emergency lane has at least three hazards: First, it delays emergency rescue. Illegal occupation of the emergency lane will cause rescue vehicles and other emergency missions to be blocked, and they will be unable to arrive at the scene in time to handle the accident, eliminate dangers, provide guidance, and rescue the injured. It may even cause serious consequences such as the death of the injured and patients due to lack of timely treatment. Secondly, it causes road congestion. When encountering a traffic accident ahead or slow-moving traffic, some drivers will weave back and forth in the emergency lane and traffic lane, block traffic, and constantly change lanes. This will not only interfere with the normal traffic flow and increase traffic congestion, but also easily lead to collisions and rear-end collisions. The third is that it is extremely easy to cause accidents. Vehicles illegally occupy the emergency lane to drive or park. If there are emergency vehicles driving in the same direction behind and are unaware of the situation ahead, driving too fast, it is easy to cause a vicious traffic accident. The behavior of "following the trend" and occupying the emergency lane will also trigger a chain reaction, aggravate traffic congestion, disrupt the overall traffic order, and form a vicious cycle of "the more congestion, the more occupation, the more occupation, the more congestion".
It needs to be emphasized that the harm of occupying emergency lanes does not only exist on holidays such as National Day. This illegal behavior is equally common and dangerous in daily highway traffic.
Drivers are hereby reminded that whether it is a holiday or a working day, whether the traffic is congested or the road is smooth, drivers should always remember: the emergency lane is a life passage, not a "convenience lane"; complying with traffic regulations is not only respect for the safety of others' lives, but also responsible for yourself and your family.
(Comprehensive upstream news, Shanghai Public Security Bureau Traffic Police Corps)
