Chinese police are taking an eye-for-an-eye approach to people who over-use their headlights.

Drivers will be pulled over, sat in front of a police car and made to stare into its headlights for five minutes, according to officials.

Traffic police in the southern city of Shenzhen have already used the punishment on drivers who inappropriately flash their high-beams.

A picture on an official Sina Weibo (Chinese Twitter) profile shows an offender receiving what police call an “appropriate experience” to make them “sense the harm” that the use of their headlights can cause.

“From now on, traffic police will make those found carelessly using bright lights to look at them for five minutes,” said the post, reinforced by a laughing-face emoticon.

Violators are also subjected to a police explanation on proper headlight use and issued a fine of 300 yuan (about $A52), the post said.

It seems driver’s politeness has not increased as rapidly as the popularity of cars in China, which, grew 6.7 per cent to 1.62 million vehicles, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said last week.

Sales hit 13.30 million vehicles in the first seven months of 2014 alone, an increase of 8.2 per cent on the same period last year.

Full-year auto sales in China totalled 21.98 million vehicles in 2013.