E-bike drivers and passengers will be fined 200 yuan (US$31) for not wearing helmets, according to the new regulations on the management of e-bikes, which will take effect starting from Aug. 1.

The regulations will be valid for three years as a trial for permanent regulations to be adopted in the future.

Those with fake e-bike license plates will have their vehicles impounded with a fine of 5,000 yuan, according to the regulations released by the Shenzhen Municipal Justice Bureau on Tuesday.

E-bikes that meet national technical standards will be allowed on roads only after registration at the city’s traffic police departments. Those refitted vehicles that fail the standards in speed and weight won’t be licensed.

Drivers of e-bikes are required to be above 16 years old and obey the traffic rules. They will be warned or fined 50 yuan if their bikes have not been registered, and will face a fine of 500 yuan if the license plates are covered or intentionally damaged. Those who drive in restricted or banned areas will be fined 2,000 yuan, while those who recharge the e-bikes indoors, like in houses, offices, or the public areas inside buildings, will be given a warning or fined 200 yuan. Drivers who have been punished for violating traffic rules for more than five times in a year will be recorded into the personal credit system, according to the regulations.

Since March 11, when Shenzhen initiated an action to reduce road safety risks, the city has reported a total of 280 traffic accidents, a year-on-year decrease of 28.5 percent. But the traffic accidents related to trucks and e-bikes remain high. The accidents and fatalities related to e-bikes took about 39.63 percent and 41.46 percent, respectively, of the total. A large majority of e-bike drivers and passengers don’t wear helmets, police data showed.