China tops road-death table

21/03/2008 - 10:13:25
China has won the unwelcome title of having the world’s deadliest roads, for the 11th year in a row.

The country suffers 5.1 deaths for every 10,000 motor vehicles, almost three times the toll in Britain.

A report by the state-run Xinhua News Agency says government statistics show nearly 82,000 road deaths in China last year.

The world average was two deaths per 10,000 vehicles. The UK figure is 1.5

Private car ownership in China has soared along with the country’s economic boom. But overloaded vehicles, reckless driving and poor road conditions are still common and frequently lead to fatal crashes.