Wang Aiyu, 22, was at the wheel of an overcrowded bus on August 8 when it jackknifed after swerving to avoid a bicycle.

The bus, which had been traveling to Shunyi on the No. 53 route, burst into flames as passengers struggled desperately to escape. Doctors treated 10 people for injuries sustained in the accident.

Wang, who worked for Beijing Tongshunfa Public Transportation Co Ltd, was in court to hear the verdict. More than a hundred people took part in the hearing, which was being held concurrently with five other traffic cases leaving 5 people dead.

The defendants were sentenced from one to four years' imprisonment respectively.

According to statistics released by Beijing Traffic Administration, there were 302 serious traffic accidents in the first three months of the year, representing a slight increased on the same period last year.

On average, 4 persons were killed in traffic accidents every day last year.

According to capital traffic authorities, the increasing amount of cars and rookie drivers were the main reason behind the high rate of accidents.

Official statistics revealed there were more than 50,000 newly registered motor vehicles in Beijing and 70,000 new drivers by the end of March, up 37 per cent and 34 per cent on the same period last year respectively.

Beijing has a total of 1.73 million vehicles on the city streets. More than 1,000 new cars were waiting to be registered during the Labor Day holiday in May.

Traffic police yesterday made fresh appeals for people to pay attention to safety ahead of the National Day holidays.

Liu Zhong, chief of the traffic police of Chaoyang District, said: "Most holiday accidents involve high speeds, drunk driving and tiredness."

Traffic police are now inspecting roads during dangerous periods. These checks will take place along Beijing-Shunyi Road, the Airport Expressway and main business areas.

(China Daily September 26, 2002)