Safety, educational videos resurface online in China after deadly car attack

BEIJING - Educational and safety videos on how to avoid being hit by speeding vehicles resurfaced online in China after a man angry over a divorce settlement barrelled into a crowd in Zhuhai, killing 35 people and injuring 43.

A video by People’s Daily’s publishing house, originally posted in July 2022, made the rounds on Chinese social media showing an instructor demonstrating to children how to avoid being rammed by a car.

The deadly attack on Nov 11 prompted widespread anger and outspoken commentary on social media, highlighting a recent jump in public violence and sparking wider conversations on mental health.

Many of the comments were scrubbed on social media platforms, but safety videos and posts are being shared, some with themes on improving knowledge of safety precautions and visual diagrams showing people how to avoid vehicle attacks.

In the resurfaced video, the children are told to not lie on the ground or run in the same direction the vehicle is heading. Instead, they should run in the opposite direction toward the car’s right or left.

In another post by the anti-terrorism task-force of Shenzhen’s public security bureau on Nov 12, a set of cartoon-like animated instructions showed various vehicle attack scenarios, asking “What should I do if I encounter a vehicle collision terrorist attack?“

None of the instructions suggest that if you have no objects or structures to hide behind, you could use items such as clothes, eggs and flour to obstruct the driver’s vision.

The vehicle attack and a recent spate of knife assaults is putting pressure on the government to better secure public safety in a country that rarely sees public violence.

China’s Ministry of Public Security held an expanded meeting of its Party committee in Beijing after the incident where the ministry called for strict precautions to prevent extreme incidents from occurring, state media reported.

The meeting stressed that mediation should be prioritised when it comes to handling disputes such as family issues and neighbourhood conflicts. REUTERS