Expressway accidents kill 6,235 last year
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-01-14 00:13

Traffic accidents on expressway killed 6,235 people in 2004 in China, a rapid rise of 18.3 percent from 2003, said the Ministry of Public Security Friday.

A trapped passenger waits for rescuers after he was caught in a 5-vehicle pile-up in in Xuedian section of the Beijing-Zhuhai Highway, Central China's Henan Province January 13, 2005. One person was killed, with five others injured in the accident caused by heavy fog. [newsphoto]

For every 10 kilometers of expressway in China, nearly two people were killed last year, the ministry said.

China built more and more expressways in recent years and meanwhile not all drivers are skilled enough to drive at high speed, said Wang Jinbiao, deputy director of the Administration of Communications in the ministry.

About 968 people were killed in accidents in which drivers failed to keep a safe distance, the top cause of highway accidents. This accounted for 15.5 percent of the total deaths.

Some 925 people died of driving while tired on expressway, or 14.8 percent of the total, while only 2.9 percent of the victims were killed by the same cause on highway, the ministry added.

Last year traffic accidents killed a total 83,085 persons, said the ministry. About 52,513 people were killed in highway accidents, slightly fewer than from 2003. A total of 13,009 died in accidents on urban highways with a speed ceiling between 80 and 100 km per hour, accounting for 12.2 percent.

In China, the speed ceiling of expressway is 120 km per hour.

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