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Several State Council departments have launched a joint action to curb the rising trend of serious traffic accidents after more than 100,000 people died on China's roads last year.
An increase in the number of traffic police patrolling roads is among the measures being introduced by the Ministry of Public Security, the State Administration of Safety Production Supervision and the Ministry of Communications.
A large-scale campaign to publicize traffic safety and punishment for violations was initiated earlier this year. Local traffic police in many regions have also established command centers to supervise and co-ordinate police patrols.
In Xingtai, in North China's Hebei Province, traffic police handled 6,672 accidents from June 12 to 16, suspended 275 drivers and took 789 vehicles off the road because drivers had seriously breached regulations.
Traffic safety supervision authorities in East China's Zhejiang Province said many of the accidents are related to fatigue.
A study conducted over six months showed that nearly 40 percent of accidents in the province involved tired drivers.
Provincial authorities are considering placing rumble strips on all sections of highway where accidents occur regularly. Vehicles vibrate when they drive over the strip, alerting tired drivers.
Driver safety activities, to be held near toll gates on the province's highways, will form part of the push to improve overall awareness.
According to the Ministry of Public Security, 100,600 people were killed last year in traffic accidents nationwide.
(China Daily August 3, 2002)
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