China tightens road safety checks

BEIJING - The Ministry of Public Security on Wednesday promised increased checks on traffic safety across the country following a string of road accidents in March.

The national inspection will be targeted at driver violations including running red lights, drunk driving and speeding, the ministry said in a statement.

Police will tighten checks on accident-prone vehicles such as coaches, school buses and vehicles loaded with dangerous chemicals, and crack down on refitted vehicles.

On March 1, two tankers loaded with methanol, a poisonous and flammable liquid often used as a fuel, crashed into each other in a highway tunnel in north China's Shanxi Province, with the collision and resulting explosion killing 31 people, and leaving nine others missing.

Early on Tuesday, 15 people died and 56 others were injured in a pileup on an expressway in Chongqing Municipality.