China sees decline in major road accidents despite vehicle boom

BEIJING, May 27 (Xinhua) -- China has seen a downward trend in terms of major road traffic accidents over the past five years, even though the number of vehicles on its roads has surged, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

At a press conference held in Beijing on Monday, the MPS revealed that in 2023, the country had recorded 436 road accidents which had resulted in three or more deaths each -- a decline of 12 percent when compared to the number of such accidents recorded in 2019.

In comparison with 2019, China's motor vehicle fleet in 2023 had swelled by 116 million units to 440 million, an increase of 36 percent, while the total number of drivers had grown by 112 million, or 27 percent, to 530 million, according to the MPS data.

The country's road network had also expanded to accommodate rising traffic volumes, with the total mileage reaching 5.44 million kilometers by the end of 2023, including 184,000 kilometers of expressways.

"With the rapid development of China's economy and society, the number of motor vehicles and drivers, as well as road mileage, have all entered a fast lane of growth," MPS spokesperson Li Guozhong said.

Since 2019, the MPS has rolled out over 70 traffic management reform measures to improve services and provide convenience for the public, benefiting in excess of 800 million people and saving more than 70 billion yuan (9.85 billion U.S. dollars) in costs.

Among these measures, was the launch of a mobile application, offering 35 traffic management services to over 540 million users, while a video-based system for the quick processing of minor traffic accidents has been piloted in 250 Chinese cities.

Additionally, three measures were introduced to facilitate driving license services for Chinese citizens abroad, according to the MPS.