The number of registered drivers in China has now reached 260 million in 2012, the People’s Daily reported today, citing statistics from the Ministry of Public Security. That amount has increased 26.47 million from the previous year.

There are a total of 240 million motor-powered vehicles on Chinese roads, with 120 million of those automobiles. The number of automobiles is growing by 15.1 million units annually, with 18 cities reporting total automobile quantities of over one million units.

At the same time, the number of people injured and killed in traffic accidents decreased 3.1 percent and 3.8 percent from 2011 to 2012, respectively. Accidents with three or more fatalities fell 15 percent over that same period of time.