TWO people are killed every day on the roads of Shanghai, according to official figures released yesterday.

　　In the first 295 days of the year, 619 people lost their lives after being involved in a traffic accident, which represents an average of 2.1 per day, a police spokesman told a press conference.

　　The total was 10 percent lower than for the same period of last year, he said, adding that the number of accidents through October 22 — the cut-off date — dropped 12 percent year on year to 809, while the number of people hurt fell 20 percent to 385.

　　The vast majority of the accidents, 78 percent, happened in suburban areas, while 14 percent of the fatal incidents “involved motorbikes,” the spokesman said, without elaborating.

　　There was a notable increase in the number of accidents involving large trucks, he said, though he did not provide any figures.

　　The number of people killed or injured in accidents involving long-distance buses fell by more than 30 percent from last year, possibly due to a crackdown on late-night driving.

　　Police issued more than 250 tickets to drivers for speeding or operating between 2am and 5am, the spokesman, said without providing comparative figures.