China has seen a significant improvement in road safety during 2020. There were only three major road crashes involving a large number of vehicles in 2020, compared with 13 such incidences in 2014 according to China‘s Ministry of Public Security. Of note is that the number of vehicles registered for use on China‘s roads has increased from 264 million in 2014 to 372 million for 2020.
To what degree the pandemic has affected traffic volumes on China’s roads is unclear however. Official figures are not yet available on total distances driven or journeys made in China. However, the Ministry of Public Security has said it is introducing a tougher enforcement policy on a national basis against drink driving and speeding, as well as other driving offences. Overloading and the transport of hazardous goods for heavy vehicles will also face tougher enforcement. This new policy is intended to bring about an overall improvement in road safety levels, both in the busy cities and in the less congested rural areas.
