BEIJING — Beijing has handled nearly 200,000 minor traffic accidents online, more than half of the total accident number on average of the same period in previous years.

These accidents have been handled since February 2020, when traffic and insurance authorities of the Chinese capital co-launched a remote traffic accident handling program.

The program via WeChat enables the general public to upload voice and video information in cases of minor accidents, which serve as evidence for traffic police and insurance companies to handle the cases, according to the Beijing Office of China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.

Through the online handling procedure, drivers can move the involved vehicles away from the scene within five minutes on average, which has effectively eased the traffic jams caused by accidents.

Seven insurance companies have joined the program, with a total market coverage of more than 90 percent of the city's vehicles, according to the office.

Beijing has over 6 million registered cars and is one of the most congested cities in China.