BEIJING – A new study says traffic deaths in China are far higher than what police have been reporting.
Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for people age 45 and younger in China, the world's largest auto market. But the new study, partly funded by the Chinese government, says what looked like a drop in deaths reported by police over a recent five-year period doesn't reflect reality.
American and Chinese researchers compared police data with death certificates from doctors logged between 2002 and 2007. While police statistics showed a 27 percent drop in traffic fatalities, deaths recorded on death certificates increased by 8 percent.
According to the study, police logged 81,649 traffic deaths in 2007, but 221,135 were listed on death certificates.
