ULAN BATOR, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- A total of 185 people have lost their lives in traffic accidents across Mongolia in the first half of this year, the country's traffic police department said Monday.

"During the January-June period, around 500 serious traffic accidents occurred in Mongolia, killing 185 people," the department said in a statement.

The report said that 57.8 percent of these accidents occurred on rural roads, noting that over-speeding, unpermitted overtaking, drunk driving and driver fatigue were the main causes of the accidents.

On June 15, the country launched a three-month national campaign called "No hurry" to reduce traffic accidents.

In 2018, a total of 562 people, including 45 children, died and 4,761 people were injured as a result of traffic accidents in Mongolia.