CHONGQING, April 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Death toll from traffic accidents has been on the rise in China in recent years, with an average of some 100,000 lives lost annually since 2001, accordingto the national meeting on road safety.

    This meant close to 300 people were killed daily on average, said Zhang Jianfei, head of the highway department of the Ministryof Communications Monday at the meeting held in Chongqing Municipality in southwest China.

    Zhang acknowledged that the number of automobiles in China accounted merely for 2 percent of the world's total, whereas its death toll from road mishaps made up about 15 percent, ranking thefirst in the world for years.

    "It's become a pressing task for China to take preventive measures against road accidents and reduce the death toll," Zhang said.

    Zhang cited incompetent driving skills and lack of the sense ofsafety on the part of drivers as the major factor behind the traffic accidents in China.

    Moreover, he noted, vehicles' poor performance and road conditions were also blamed for traffic tragedies.

    The length of highways open to traffic in China totals 1.81 million kilometers, approximately 70 percent of which, or 1.2 million km in length, are highways of inferior quality, especiallythose highways in rigid mountainous areas built decades ago, with inadequate safety facilities. Enditem