Fewer road accidents in National Day holiday

BEIJING - China reported 68,422 cases of road accidents during the National Day holiday that ended on Sunday, a year-on-year decrease of 24.1 percent, according to the traffic bureau under the Ministry of Public Security.

These accidents, which occurred between September 30 and October 7, killed altogether 794 people and led to direct economic losses worth 13.25 million yuan (2.1 million U.S. dollars), which dropped by 46.2 percent and 37 percent, respectively, year-on-year.

In the most serious case during the period, 14 people were killed after two passenger coaches collided on an expressway in east China's Shandong Province on Sunday.

During the holiday, police across the country were ordered to arrange special personnel to guide traffic flow in severe weather and key routes.

Additionally, police imposed strengthened safety checks on passenger buses and trucks carrying dangerous chemicals, as well as harsher punishments for drunk driving, fatigue driving, speeding and other road malpractices.