Accidents down during Spring Festival in China

Traffic accidents during this year's Spring Festival were down about 50 percent from last year, according to a Saturday statement from the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). No serious fire-related accidents or firework-related deaths were reported during the holiday period from Feb. 9 to 15, said the statement. A fire-related accident is defined as "serious" if the death toll reaches between 10 and 30. A highway toll exemption policy was in place during the festival this year, which increased traffic flow. It was the second time for the country to adopt such a practice. No heavy or large-scale traffic congestion was reported and traffic accidents in which three or more people died dropped by 76.7 percent year on year, according to the statement. Fire departments across the country dispatched 47,000 inspection teams and ordered 282 enterprises to close or halt production over potential fire hazards, said the statement. In addition, 25 million people attended 1,784 large-scale activities across the country during the holiday, including 371 activities with participants of more than 10,000 people. All of these events ran safely and smoothly.