BEIJING - Chinese police on Wednesday launched a national safety check on coaches and their drivers in the wake of high numbers of serious accidents involving the vehicles this year.

Since January, China has reported 11 traffic accidents, each of them killing more than 10 people, and four of them were caused by safety lapses in coach operations, said a statement from the Ministry of Public Security.

Police across the country will inspect the conditions of coaches, especially whether safety devices such as seat belts and fire extinguishers are in place, according to the statement.

They will also check the safety records of drivers and make sure those with bad records are suspended from their jobs and sent for training, it said.

Safety checks will be conducted once a month by local police from May, it added.

Moreover, the ministry has tightened the issuance of drivers' licenses by increasing the difficulty of the driving test.

Starting May 1, coach driver applicants should take real road tests featuring more complicated situations such as mountainous roads, channels and expressways.

Furthermore, from October this year, the applicants will be required to pass simulation driving tests on roads with sharp turns, in rainy and snowy weather and on wet roads before they are granted coach driving licenses, the ministry said.

The ministry has also ordered stricter training hour management for the drivers-to-be, in order to ensure the quality of driving training.