The number of people who survived the first 24 hours but died within 30 days of a traffic accident fell 3.5 percent from the previous year to a record 1,134 in 2004, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
in 1993, when the agency started compiling statistics, the number was 2,327, the NPA said. The previous record low was 1,175, recorded in 2003.
Including 7,358 people who died within the first 24 hours of an accident, the number of casualties occurring within 30 days fell to a record 8,492. The previous low was 8,877, posted in 2003.
"Strengthened efforts to crack down on reckless driving and more drivers wearing seat belts are helping reduce traffic deaths both within the first 24 hours and within 30 days," an agency official said.
Elderly people accounted for 48.5 percent of those who survived the first 24 hours of an accident but who died later within 30 days. The ratio of elderly people who died in the first 24 hours came to 41.4 percent.
People who were riding a bicycle at the time of an accident represented 25.4 percent of those surviving the first 24 hours but dying later within 30 days.
The ratio of cyclists who died within the first 24 hours was 11.7 percent.
The NPA has been compiling the statistics on traffic accident fatalities in the two categories since 1993.