Accidents prompt check of rural traffic

The Ministry of Public Security's traffic administration bureau has called for a comprehensive inspection of traffic hazards faced by rural residents after two recent accidents killed 27 people.

In a notice issued on Wednesday, the bureau asked traffic management departments at public security organs to work closely with local departments of transport, agriculture and rural affairs, and emergency management in investigating potential hazards.

With more rural residents working at factories, farms, orchards or tea gardens in recent years, travel difficulties and traffic safety have become growing problems.

Fifteen people died and one was injured in Boli county, Heilongjiang province, on Saturday in an accident that resulted from serious overloading, excessive speed and a tractor carrying passengers illegally, the province's public security department said.

The next day, a pickup carrying 14 people ran off a mountainside road in Taihu county, Anhui province, killing 12 people and injuring two. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

The bureau asked traffic police to study the transport needs of workers in rural areas and conduct an in-depth investigation of key enterprises and groups.

Apart from actively working to increase the availability of rural transport, public security organs also need to sign traffic safety commitment letters with enterprises and drivers to ensure they abide by the prohibition on the carriage of people in unlicensed vehicles.