Road accidents down 50% during holiday

People in China have returned to work after their Spring Festival family reunions. The Ministry of Transport estimates about 440 million passenger trips were made during the week-long holiday.

This is the first Spring Festival that drivers have been able to travel without paying toll fees, easing traffic congestion seen previously as cars queued at booths.

The Ministry of Public Security says there were half as many traffic accidents during this year's Spring Festival compared with 2012, and those in which three or more people died fell by 76.7 percent.

Last year, nearly 1,800 accidents killed 547 people.