A group of 40 foreigners from the U.K., Russia, Spain, Thailand and other countries recently attended a lecture on Chinese traffic laws in Shanghai. Some of the attendees volunteered to join local police officers in stopping traffic violations on Nanjing West Road after the lesson. 

The hour-long presentation, given by the Jing'an Exit and Entry Administration for employees of companies based in Shibei Hi-tech Park on Jiangchang Road, consisted of a digital slide show and a question and answer session.

Vika Korpusova, a Russian woman who has been living in Shanghai for three years, was among the foreigners who volunteered with police after the lecture.

"I don't think many foreigners in Shanghai know the local rules. And because many people don't know, they don't follow them," she said.

During the lecture, police officers gave examples of the most common traffic violations among foreigners, in the hope of getting more foreign residents in Shanghai to learn about the local rules. According to the presenter, the most common violation among foreigners is riding with a passenger on the backseat of scooters. The second most common violation is riding without a bike license.

One police officer said that many foreigners believe it's legal for them to drive in China with an international driver’s license. In fact, foreigners must obtain a local license to legally drive in China.

Police said they plan to launch more events to involve foreigners in improving traffic condition in the city.