BEIJING — The number of serious traffic accidents that caused 10 or more deaths was reduced by 44.4 percent year-on-year to just five in 2018, the Ministry of Public Security said on Jan 15.

The death toll in traffic accidents dropped 578 or 0.9 percent from 2017 to 2018, while no accident caused a death toll of 30 or more, the ministry said.

The country has registered 240 million automobiles, with licensed drivers reaching 409 million.

Attributing the reduction to a series of national campaigns against dangerous driving, the ministry warned that there were still a large number of substandard vehicles and loopholes in monitoring networks, and that public awareness needed improving.

The ministry pledged more campaigns to screen loopholes and push transport industries and enterprises to improve their internal regulation.