Police have blamed icy roads for an increase in road accidents across Shanghai early yesterday.
Between midnight and 9am, there were 1,118 incidents, mostly minor collisions, said police, who attributed the rise to sleet that began to hit the city on Sunday afternoon. No one was killed. Minhang Police said a ramp on Jiading-Minhang Elevated Road, near Jianhong Road, was the scene of multiple single-vehicle accidents from 6am to 8am yesterday.
Police told xinmin.cn that locals who are unaccustomed to driving in icy conditions tend to slam on the brakes when they hit ice, which can cause vehicles to spin out of control.
A witness, surnamed Liu, told the website that another ramp on the elevated highway, which is close to Jinshajiang Road W, was the scene of a multiple-vehicle accident yesterday morning.
About 10 vehicles, including taxis, private cars and vans, were involved in the incident, which created a traffic jam that stretched more than 1 kilometer.
Another pileup involving more than a dozen vehicles occurred on Hukun Expressway, causing severe congestion because many vehicles had to be towed away, the website said.
The traffic authority lifted its ice warning at 11am .
