Beijing, June 2 (IANS) About 2,700 schoolchildren were killed and nearly 11,500 injured in road accidents in China last year, says the Chinese government.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security, road accidents killed 2,670 pre-schoolers and primary and middle school students and injured another 11,417 in China last year, Xinhua reported.

As much as 45 percent of the deadly accidents occurred when the victims were walking, it said.

The ministry has urged parents and school teachers to make more efforts to guide children to follow traffic signals and opt for a zebra crossing or an underpass while crossing a street.

Traffic accidents on China's roads result in about 70,000 deaths and 300,000 injuries each year, according to the ministry.

Speeding, fatigue, drunk driving and poor road conditions are usually blamed for it.

The ministry has also warned drivers to slow down when driving near schools or villages while urging parents and teachers to teach children, especially those living in rural areas, not to play on highways.

Parents have also been told to use baby seats in cars and not to allow children below-12 to cycle on the road.