2010-07-13 22:08

BEIJING - A total of 367 accidents attributed to drunk driving occurred during the month-long World Cup period in China, down 38.7 percent from the same period last year, according to figures released by China's Public Security Ministry Tuesday.

The accidents killed 157 people and injured 428, down 42 percent and 42.3 percent, respectively, said the ministry.

From June 11 to July 12,  police nationwide recorded about 33,600 cases of drink driving, including 4,521 cases of drunk driving. A total of 4,112 drivers were detained.

The period also saw a lower traffic accident number, which stood at about 16,000 nationwide, down 18.8 percent. In the accidents, 4,465 people died and 18,800 were injured, down 17.2 percent and 20.4 percent,respectively.

China's police authority has been strictly monitoring drunk driving since last August when a nationwide campaign was launched which apprehended more than 304,000 drunk drivers during a four-and-a-half month period.