BEIJING, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- More than 327,206 traffic accidents claimed 81,000 lives in China last year while another 380,000 people were injured, government figures indicated.
The national transportation authority said there have been more than 215,000 traffic accidents this year, with about 57,000 dead and more than 250,000 injured, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Chinese authorities worry that the number of serious accidents, in which 10 or more fatalities are reported in each incident, is showing an alarming rise. As of Monday, the number of such serious accidents this year reached 27, compared to 26 for all of last year.
Traffic administration head Wang Jinbiao said the government planned to toughen measures against bus and truck drivers, who were identified as causing most of the accidents, the report said.
"Overloading, rash driving and slippery roads have led to such accidents recently," he said.
Last Saturday, a bus carrying 36 passengers flipped over in Sog county in the Tibet region, killing 18 people. On the same day, another bus with 56 passengers skidded and overturned on an icy road in Heilongjiang province, killing 11 passengers.
The report said the number of new driving licenses issued last year was up 7 percent and that more than 45 percent of the country's drivers have less than three years' experience behind the wheel.
