Road accidents kill over 73,000 in China in 2008

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-01-04 18:59

BEIJING -- Almost 73,500 people died in road accidents in China last year, according to official figures released on Sunday.

Last year, 265,204 road accidents killed 73,484 people and injured 304,919 others nationwide, down 19 percent, 10 percent and 20 percent respectively from 2007, the traffic administration bureau under the Ministry of Public Security said here.

Losses from these accidents were estimated at 1.01 billion yuan (148 million US dollars), down 15.8 percent from 2007.

The bureau attributed the decreases to stepped-up efforts road safety campaigns, including an Olympics-related campaign from April 1 to September 20 and better management of commercial vehicles.

It warned of pressure on safety conditions this year, citing a larger number of vehicles running on longer roads, and it vowed to take measures to make the roads safer and more orderly.