Road accidents in China kill 37,000 in first half of 2007

China reported 159,000 road accidents in the first half of this year, with 37,000 fatalities and 189,000 injured and causing direct losses of 540 million yuan (71 million U.S. dollars).

The figures were released by the traffic management department under the Ministry of Public Security on Sunday.

Compared with the same period last year, the number of road accidents was down 16.9 percent, deaths were down 12.2 percent, injuries dropped 15.2 percent and the amount of losses caused by road accidents was down 29.6 percent.

The ministry attributed the reduction of road accidents to improved road safety awareness and observance of the road rules among motorists, particularly when it came to overloading, speeding and fatigue driving, the three major causes of road accidents.

China has enforced tougher driving test regulations since April to improve the drivers' safety awareness.

The new regulations require learners to pass at least 10 out of 13 practical tests, which include changing lanes, traversing intersections and night driving.

Applicants will also be tested on real roads with a single-way traffic flow of at least 60 cars per hour. Learners in mountainous areas will take additional tests on roads with tunnels, culverts and steep slopes, according to the new regulations.

The new test mainly emphasizes safety awareness, which should be considered more important than the driving skills alone, experts said.