Traffic accidents killed 1,171 people during the seven-day
National Day vacation, down 42.8 percent from the same time last
year, said the Ministry of Public Security on Sunday.
By 18:00?PM?Sunday, 3,635 traffic accidents had
occurred nationwide since Monday, but this is 49.5 percent fewer
than last year's figure, the ministry said in a press release.
Property losses concerning these accidents totaled 3.69 million
yuan (US$490,000), 88.3 percent less than last year, the statement
said.
All the accidents, except one, claimed less than 10 lives
each.
Most expressways, national and provincial highways across the
country functioned well. Few traffic jams were reported during the
vacation.
According to previous estimates, more than 150 million Chinese
were expected to go on tour during the week-long vacation from
Monday to Sunday, nicknamed "Golden Week."
(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2007)