BEIJING — China’s Ministry of Public Security has urged drivers against road rage, releasing data showing a rise in such incidents.

Ministry figures revealed on May 8 that more than 80,000 traffic accidents in 2013 were the results of road rage. The number edged up 2.4 percent last year, and this January-April period saw a further increase of 3.7 percent.

In a recent case that stunned the public, a young man in southwest China’s Sichuan province dragged a female driver out of her car before punching and kicking her in the face, claiming that her sudden lane change forced him to brake suddenly and frightened his one-year-old child in the back seat.

The phenomenon is further highlighted by a survey conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in which 35 percent of 900 respondents admitted they had been guilty of aggressive driving including sudden lane changes and overtaking by force.

The ministry called on the public to report road rage to traffic authorities and vowed harsh punishments for aggression on the roads.