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Citation |
Navin F, Bergan A, Qi J, Li J. Transp. Res. Rec. 1994; 1441: 3. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 1994, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing) |
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DOI |
unavailable |
PMID |
unavailable |
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Abstract |
China is in the early stages of motorization. The road safety issues that arise are interesting since they indicate that although a few are unique to early motorization, many are associated with more motorized countries such as Canada. The 1.2 billion Chinese are concentrated in roughly the eastern third of the country. Recent economic reforms have greatly expanded the motorized vehicle fleet to 16 million but have done little for the road system. Bicycles dominate personal transport and number over 300 million. There were 49,271 reported highway fatalities in China during 1990. The fatality rate per 10,000 motor vehicles is 48, roughly 19 times that of Canada. Cyclists and pedestrians account for about 60% of the fatalities. The majority of accidents may be attributed to a driver's violation of laws, carelessness, vehicle mechanical faults, and poor road facilities. An interesting question for road safety professionals is "Can China avoid an enormous carnage on its highways by adopting Western road safety programs?" Lives saved could number up to half a million a year. Language: en |