Seoul saw a total of 343 deaths from traffic accidents last year, the lowest since the city government began collecting such data.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday, 2016 marks the first time the city saw the daily average number of road casualties fall below one, at 0.94 deaths.

It is the lowest number since the city government started collecting data in 1970 when the daily toll stood at 1.46 deaths. The capital city saw the figure rise to as high as 3.76 in the 1980s, with a sharp increase in the number of automobiles here. There were a total of 376 deaths from traffic accidents in 2015 and 400 in 2014.

“Seoul is just half way through to reach its goal. We will continue to bring down the number to 0.6 deaths per day, putting road safety and traffic regulations at the forefront of our policies,” said Yoon Jun-byung, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s city transportation and traffic division.

The reduction in road casualties is attributed to the government-wide campaign to curb traffic accidents, which involved the National Police Agency, the Road Traffic Authority, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority as well as the Seoul government.

In 2014, Seoul introduced traffic accident control countermeasures which include campaigns that promote the use of public transportation and the expansion of bus-only lanes for citizens’ safety.

By Kim Da-sol ()