After 90 people were killed in nine major road accidents in just over a week, the Ministry of Public Security is urging local authorities to improve road safety nationwide.

The latest and largest accident happened yesterday in Luliang County, Southwest China's Yunnan Province. A coach collided with a minibus, killing 21 and injuring 34.

Earlier yesterday, another accident in Zhongning County, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, killed 12 people and injured 15, after a coach collided with a train at 2:45 pm. By press time, the 15 injured were still receiving treatment in Zhongning People's Hospital. Investigations are under way.

Ministry figures show that the number of major road accidents, where at least five people are killed, reached 180 in the first half of the year, up 8.4 per cent over the same period last year.

"Speeding and overloading are the major causes," Wang Jinbiao, deputy-director of the ministry's traffic administrative bureau, said at a press conference yesterday in Beijing.

Accidents caused by speeding or driving on the wrong side of the road have claimed the lives of 12,790 people, accounting for 30.5 per cent of the total death toll in the first half of the year.

Among the 26 most deadly accidents, each of which killed at least 10 people, speeding was the cause of 10 of the tragedies, according to the ministry.

Dangerous road sections without safety barriers have witnessed frequent accidents as well. Nineteen out of the 26 fatal accidents involved vehicles dropping off hillsides.

To reduce the number of major road accidents in the rest of this year, especially during the summer when more vehicles and passengers are on the road, the ministry has launched a road safety campaign in the nine provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions which see the most accidents. They are: Fujian, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Chongqing and Guangxi.

During the three-month campaign that started on Saturday, police officers will visit transport companies and passenger transport stations to see whether there is any violation of traffic rules.

Roads with poor surfaces will be renovated and dangerous sections will be equipped with safety barriers, the ministry said.

While the actual number of recorded road accidents in the first six months of this year is 190,270, down 14.3 per cent year-on-year, Wang said they faced a "very tough task" ahead during the rest of the summer.

Fatigue and anxiety resulting from high temperatures, and a growing number of travellers are all contributing factors to road accidents, he said.

Records covering the past five years show that July has an average of 52,803 road accidents with a death toll of about 8,000. On average, 267 people die daily on the roads during the month.

To avoid accidents, the ministry has offered some safety tips:

Check vehicle's circuit system, tyres and brakes regularly to avoid mechanical failure in hot weather

Get familiar with the driving route and pay attention to weather forecasts

Do not get on unlicensed or overloaded vehicles

Report cases of drink driving or speeding to local police

Dial 122 and 120 for help in the event of a road accident

Source: China Daily