Traffic accidents in April caused 7,696 deaths in China, dropping 6.5 percent from the same period last year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Public Security on Thursday.

The total number of people killed in traffic accidents in the country has exceeded 100,000 annually for the three consecutive years since 2001, with an average daily report of some 300 deaths.

Traffic accidents in April also injured 34,318 people, down 15.9 percent, and caused direct economic losses of 240 million yuan (28.9 million US dollars), down 14.4 percent, the figures show.

The number of automobiles in China accounted merely for 2 percent of the world's total, whereas its death toll from road mishaps made up about 15 percent, ranking first in the world for years.

Some experts attribute the large number of road accidents to incompetent driving skills and the lack of a sense of safety on the part of drivers, vehicles' poor performance and unsatisfactory road conditions in the country.

Source: Xinhua