Road Traffic Laws, Regulations and Rules
The law domain carries a large share of Subject 1 and tests three things: which document governs a situation, what a C1 or C2 licence actually permits, and how the demerit cycle runs. Most items are small scenarios - a licence date, a vehicle class, a road layout - so the legal vocabulary must be exact.
Hierarchy of sources
- 道路交通安全法 (statute) sits above the 实施条例 (administrative regulation), which sits above ministry rules such as 机动车驾驶证申领和使用规定 (公安部令第162号) and 机动车登记规定 (164号令).
- When rules conflict, the higher level wins, and a specific rule beats a general one.
Licensing rules
- C1 covers small manual cars and also C2, C3 and C4; C2 covers small automatic cars only. Driving outside your class is 准驾不符.
- Minimum age 18. From 70, a medical certificate is submitted every year and the memory–judgement–reaction test must be passed.
- Licence terms are 6 years, 10 years and long-term. Renewal is filed within 90 days before expiry.
- The first 12 months are the 实习期: display the 实习 sign, no public buses, coaches, dangerous-goods vehicles or trailers, and no expressway driving unless accompanied by a holder of the same or a higher class for 3+ years.
The demerit cycle
Twelve months counted from the date of first issue, not from 1 January. Twelve points are available; reaching 12 means the licence is withheld, 7 days of study are required, and 科目一 is retaken.
Worked example
A licence expires on 30 June. The renewal window opens on 1 April (90 days before) and closes on 30 June. If the driver keeps driving in July, the licence is no longer valid and the case is handled as driving without a valid licence - 200–2,000 yuan and up to 15 days' detention - not as a late-renewal fee.
Traps
- 吊销 (revoked as a penalty), 撤销 (cancelled because it was obtained improperly) and 注销 (cancelled administratively, e.g. on death or expiry) are three different words.
- Reaching 12 points during the 实习期 cancels the class just obtained, not merely the points.
- The cycle start date is the issue date of your first licence, which the question usually buries in the stem.