97,000 Chinese died in road accidents this year so far

Some 96,870 people were killed and 435,740 injured in more than 470,000 accidents recorded between January and November, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry of Public Security as saying.

While the death toll was up, the number of injured dropped 4.7 percent, according to ministry statistics. Total road accidents were down 23.9 percent, Xinhua said.

The report said the 54 worst accidents, which killed more than 10 people each, accounted for 838 of the deaths.

Lax enforcement of road safety rules, poor vehicle maintenance and inexperienced drivers make Chinese roads among the most dangerous in the world.