3,651 drunk drivers have licenses revoked

Chinese police announced Wednesday that 3,651 convicted drunk drivers have had their driver's licenses permanently revoked since the introduction of an upgraded statute last May.

Such punishments apply to those drivers whose drunk driving causes an accident serious enough to constitute a crime, according to the amended Road Traffic Safety Law which went into effect on May 1, 2011.

Previously, the law also imposed license revocations for repeated drunk driving offenses, but did not ban new applications.

In January and February 2012, police around China reported over 7,000 cases of drunk driving, a 43.7-percent decrease year-on-year, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Security.

The ministry also reported a dramatic drop in the number of people injured or killed in traffic accidents year-on-year, but provided no details.

Attributing the drop to strict law enforcement and traffic management, the statement called on the country's traffic authorities to devote more efforts to stopping dangerous traffic violations, including drunk driving, speeding, overloading vehicles and fatigued driving.

As of the end of 2011, China had around 106 million automobiles and more than 235 million licensed drivers.

However, fatal road accidents remain a big threat to public security, with 27 major traffic accidents leading to the deaths of 10 or more people reported last year.