Taipei, July 23 （CNA） The governments efforts to crack down on "malicious" traffic violations has proved successful after statistics of the National Police Agency （NPA） showed that the number of people who died in a traffic accident categorized as "A1" recorded with a year-on-year drop of 15.6 percent for the first five months of this year.

An A1 traffic accident means that victims pass away within 24 hours of the accident.

According to NPA statistics, the number of deaths due to A1 traffic accidents reached 1,101 during the period between Jan. 1 and May 28.

Driving under the influence of alcohol was the major cause of the A1 traffic accidents, while drivers not paying attention to traffic in front of them or refusing to give precedence by following traffic rules were the other leading causes of the deadly accidents, according to the NPA.

The NPA began a special program in January to severely punish malicious traffic violators, reinforcing measures to crack down on malicious practices including driving under the influence, running red lights, speeding 40 km/h over the limit, driving on the shoulder of the expressway, and forcing smaller vehicles to give precedence on the expressway. （By Elizabeth Hsu）