Government officials above the level of deputy section head in Shuozhou, Shanxi province, have been ordered to retake their driving tests, the Shanxi Evening News reported yesterday.

The city government issued a circular on June 13, telling all such officials to hand in their licenses to traffic police and register to sit a driving knowledge and skills test.

As of Wednesday, half of the officials had returned their licenses, the paper said.

The circular said the move was designed to reduce the number and cost of accidents involving government officials.

"In order to raise the level of officials' road safety awareness and driving skills, anyone who ranks above deputy section chief that has a driving license will have to take the driving tests within six months," the document said.

If they fail twice, their licenses will be revoked, it said.

Although the government gave no specific reason for the move, an anonymous official said it is likely a response to the recent case of a young girl who died after being hit by a car driven by a government official.

On May 4, an environment official surnamed Zhang knocked down a schoolgirl in the downtown area of Shuozhou. The child later died from her injuries.

Although most local officials have driving licenses, few of them have ever sat a driving test, and rather they acquired their licenses through illegal channels, the newspaper said.

An anonymous resident of Shuozhou said he welcomed the new rule.

"Officials who have not been properly trained might not know how to deal with an emergency situation when they are behind the wheel," the newspaper quoted the man as saying.

Some officials, however, have said the ruling is unfair.

"I got my driving license after undergoing training and taking the official tests. Now, I have to do it all again, which will influence my work and my life," a section chief was quoted by the paper as saying.

(China Daily July 4, 2008)