China is a scary place to drive at the best of times. Every day at least 300 people are killed in traffic accidents, giving the country the highest death toll and highest death rate in the world, according to China Daily.

As well as a widespread disregard for traffic laws, some accidents happen even when neither driver is technically breaking the law.

That was the case in Shenzhen when three people were killed after traffic lights at adjacent roads on a junction stayed green, causing a cement mixer to clash with a van, according to local television. The accident happened on July 10, and it has since emerged that the malfunction had been reported on Sina Weibo the day before.

The cement mixer smashed into the side of the van carrying three men and three women, according to a witness surnamed Yang. After the collision, only the driver was able to move, said Yang.

After the accident, several onlookers stopped to open the back door of the van and bring out the victims. Unfortunately two men and one woman did not survive.

The next day, an investigation by Shenzhen Traffic Police showed the accident to be caused by a malfunctioning traffic light, which was repaired the following day.

The Traffic Police have such confidence in street lights that they’re encouraging motorists to assume that all traffic lights are broken and approach them accordingly, looking both ways before continuing with caution.

There is a 12-minute compilation of traffic accidents in Shandong Province here. Warning though: they are not for the squeamish.