China reported 159,000 road accidents in the first half of this
year, with 37,000 fatalities and 189,000 injured and causing direct
losses of 540 million yuan (US$71 million).
The figures were released by the traffic management department
under the Ministry of Public Security on Sunday.
Compared with the same period last year, the number of road
accidents was down 16.9 percent, deaths were down 12.2 percent,
injuries dropped 15.2 percent and the amount of losses caused by
road accidents was down 29.6 percent.
The ministry attributed the reduction of road accidents to
improved road safety awareness and observance of the road rules
among motorists, particularly when it came to overloading, speeding
and fatigue driving, the three major causes of road accidents.
(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2007)