Death toll in traffic accident falls

The death toll in traffic accidents reached 10,236 last year, down 4.8 percent from 10,756 in 1999, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Wednesday.

Traffic fatalities decreased last year despite an increase in the number of accidents, which stood at 290,481, up 5.3 percent from 275,938 in 1999, an NPA spokesman said. The death toll per 10,000 vehicles decreased to 7.4 from the previous year`s 8.3, but the percentage was still high compared to 2.0 in the United States and 1.2 in Japan.

The increase rate for traffic fatalities was 9.0 percent in 1991, -13.3 percent in 1992, -10.6 percent in 1993, -3.0 percent in 1994, 2.3 percent in 1995, 22.6 percent in 1996, -8.3 percent in 1997, -21.9 percent in 1998 and 3.3 percent in 1999.

Economic damage caused by traffic mishaps last year amounted to 503.6 billion won, 8.8 percent more than the previous year`s 462.7 billion won. By cause of death, drunk driving claimed 1,217 lives, up 6.0 percent from the previous year, while the number of fatalities caused by unlicensed driving decreased by 14.2 percent to 793, the spokesman said.