Traffic deaths in Shanghai down from last year, say police
The number of deaths in traffic accidents in Shanghai so far this year was down 11.6 percent from the same period last year, city police said on Thursday on the occasion of the 10th National Traffic Safety Day.
This was the result of strict law enforcement on traffic offenses and new measures taken to remove traffic hazards, according to police.
In cracking down on the most dangerous of traffic offenses this year, the police have focused on truck offenses and drunk driving.
Common truck offenses in this regard include trucks making a right turn without stopping at intersections or illegally transporting people. And also those transporting dangerous chemicals using unapproved routes. The crackdown also tackled passenger cars illegally transporting goods.
About 53,000 of the above offenses were discovered in just October and November, up 87.7 percent from the same period last year, police said.
In cracking down on drunk driving, police have identified about 800 spots around the city where drunk driving accidents are more likely to happen and deployed officers to set up roadblocks to check passing drivers at night.
This year, Shanghai traffic police started to require all trucks to pause at intersections when making a right turn. Large trucks often cause lethal accidents at intersections by running over bikers or pedestrians.
Intersections where such accidents tend to happen are closely monitored by police and about 40 digital police cameras have been installed in different parts of the city to catch such offenses.
In October and November, the number of such accidents that involved deaths was down 54.5 percent from the same period last year, police said.
Over the years, police have been teaming up with social partners, including Budweiser and Shanghai Animation Film Studio, to promote public awareness of traffic safety.
In Huangpu District, police have embarked on a cooperation with food deliverymen working for McDonald's to train them on traffic rules.
