Guangdong Province is looking for lessons from abroad in its
fight to prevent traffic accidents and thereby curb the number of
road deaths in the years ahead.
And the stakes are high - the province leads the nation in fatal
traffic accidents. One tenth of all deadly collisions in China have
happened in Guangdong since 2002.
Officials said they are combing the globe for effective traffic
management measures in the hope of reducing the carnage.
Wen Rongfang, deputy director of the traffic management department
under the provincial bureau of public security, said the department
will do more to promote the use of seatbelts.
"Fastening one's seatbelt while driving is an effective way to
reduce the number of deaths and injuries in traffic accidents. It
has been proven in the United States and many other countries," Wen
told a press conference yesterday.
He said it has been estimated that seatbelts had reduced the
number of fatalities caused by road accidents by 60 percent in many
foreign countries.
"But many local drivers still refuse to fasten their safety
belts while driving, despite the great efforts that have been made
to promote their use," he said.
Guangdong has achieved some progress in curbing traffic
accidents and the number of resulting casualties, but the figures
are still daunting.
Last year, 7,994 people died and 55,566 were injured in 46,558
traffic accidents in the province. The figures represent
year-on-year declines of 9.5 percent, 17.9 percent and 17.2
percent, respectively.
In 2002, 12,035 were killed in road accidents in Guangdong.
In addition, the province will invest more in traffic management
technology in the coming years, Wen said.
Electronic sensors and other advanced equipment will be
installed along major highways to help curb speeding, overloading
and other driving hazards.
The province had spent more than 1 billion yuan ($137 million)
on highway safety in the past two years.
(China Daily January 3, 2008)
