Traffic accident death toll down amid crackdowns

Adelyn Lau

Almost 400 people lost their lives or were seriously injured in traffic accidents in the first half, police said.

Officers handled 363 fatal and serious traffic accidents that saw 341 people suffering serious injuries and 51 losing their lives. This represents a 42-percent decrease compared to the same period last year, when the corresponding figure was 675.

The drop in casualties could be related to citywide crackdowns on driving offenses and jaywalking, but the police did not explicitly say what accounted for the drop in accidents. Operations were launched in March and December, with officers handing out HK$2,000 fixed penalty tickets to jaywalkers.

Also coming in for enforcement action were such issues as careless driving, failure to yield to pedestrians at crossings, speeding, use of phones while driving, drunk and drug-impaired driving and violations related to traffic signals and road markings.

Pedestrians remained a high-risk group, accounting for 33 percent of the fatalities, or 17 people - a 47-percent decrease from the 32 killed in the same period last year.

The rest who died were 18 drivers, nine passengers and seven cyclists.

Compared to last year, the number of deaths of drivers, passengers and cyclists increased by 40 percent, 3.5 times, and 2.5 times, respectively.

According to Superintendent Avina Lai Siu-wai of the police traffic branch, the most common vehicles involved in fatal accidents were trucks and cars, each accounting for 17, followed by taxis and motorcycles at nine and eight, respectively.

The main causes were a lack of focus while driving, including ignoring blind spots, not paying attention to road conditions, and careless lane changes, as well as speeding or lack of road experience, Lai said.

Chief Inspector Sam Lam Kai-sum said cyclist fatalities jumped 250 percent from two to seven. Four of the cyclist deaths did not involve other road users, and six of the cyclists weren't wearing helmets.

Lam stressed the importance of cyclists properly assessing their abilities and wearing appropriate safety gear.

"Whether cycling on bike paths or roads, cyclists need to have a thorough understanding of control and conduct proper risk assessments. For example, when going downhill, one should slow down as much as possible or dismount and push the bike."

Officers plan a new round of enforcement operations in the third quarter to combat distracted driving and reduce bicycle accidents.