A total of 562 people were killed in 2,527 traffic accidents in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, in the first ten months of this year.
The figures were 64 and 418 more than in the same period of last year, respectively, police said Wednesday.
At the same time, 979 were injured in the traffic accidents, 266 more than a year earlier.
Traffic accidents resulted in a property loss of over 14 million yuan (US$1.7 million), up 30 percent on a yearly basis.
Currently, Shenzhen has nearly 400,000 automobiles and 330,000 people with driving licenses.
An official from the local traffic administration said beginner drivers easily become "road killers" due to their lack of driving experience.
Drivers' negligence and passersby's inobservance of traffic regulations are both major factors causing the increasing number of traffic accidents, the official added.
(Xinhua News Agency November 21, 2001)
