Four Departments Jointly Promote Standardization in Road Traffic with 970 National Standards to Strengthen the Foundation of Travel Safety

According to the "City Talk New Language" WeChat public account, on the morning of February 4, the State Administration for Market Regulation, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Transport, held a special press conference on road traffic standardization. Liu Hongsheng, Director of the Standardization Technology Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation, introduced at the conference that in recent years, China's automotive industry has developed rapidly, and the scale of road traffic construction has continued to expand. Data shows that by 2025, China's vehicle ownership had reached 366 million, with annual automobile production and sales exceeding 34 million units, and approximately 8,000 kilometers of new expressways added.

Road traffic safety is closely related to people's well-being. To this end, the four departments have collaborated to advance road traffic standardization work, using standards to empower safe, green, and convenient travel. Specific measures include three aspects:

Strengthening the Coordination of Standardization Work

The road traffic system encompasses multiple elements such as people, vehicles, roads, and the environment. Its high-quality and safe operation relies on the guidance and guarantee of standardization. The four departments have strengthened top-level design, issuing a series of important documents such as "Automotive Industry Steady Growth Work Plan (2025–2026)" and "National Guidelines for the Construction of the Internet of Vehicles Industry Standard System," and have conducted research on automotive mandatory standard roadmaps and electric vehicle standardization work roadmaps, providing clear guidance for standardization efforts. At the same time, they have promoted the establishment of horizontal liaison mechanisms in fields such as automobiles, road transport, traffic management, and intelligent transportation, enhancing the coordination of cross-domain standard development and revision.

Continuously Improving the Road Traffic Standard System

In 2025, China's standard development process accelerated comprehensively, and the quality of standard supply continued to improve. In the field of road vehicles, 108 national standards were issued, including basic requirements for automotive steering systems, safety requirements for electric vehicles, and energy consumption limits for electric vehicles. In the field of road infrastructure, 33 national standards were issued, including road traffic signs and markings, and LED variable speed limit signs for expressways. In the field of road traffic management, 12 national standards were issued, including electronic licenses for motor vehicle driving permits and road traffic signal control systems. To date, China has accumulated 970 national standards related to road traffic, covering key areas such as automobiles, transportation infrastructure, and traffic management, providing a solid standard foundation for the high-quality development of road traffic.

Deepening the Implementation and Application of Standards

Road traffic standards serve both regulatory support and public service functions, with strong technicality and broad impact. To promote the effective implementation of standards, the four departments have innovated in publicity methods. Since the "14th Five-Year Plan," they have conducted over 200 standard promotion activities, trained more than 50,000 technical professionals, and created cloud courses for important standards, providing convenient online learning channels. In daily life, the automobile energy consumption label, mandatory standards for helmets, and road signs and markings are vivid examples of standards transforming from "textual clauses" into "governance effectiveness."

Moving forward, the State Administration for Market Regulation will collaborate with relevant departments to accelerate the development and issuance of important standards, further optimize and improve the road traffic standard system, intensify standard promotion efforts, strengthen the implementation and application of standards, and ensure the alignment of standards with industry regulatory policies, effectively enhancing the travel experience for the public.