Lunar New Year Traffic Accidents Increase by 15% Compared to the Day Before Holiday Start... Peak at 6 PM

Average Trend of Traffic Accidents During Lunar New Year Holiday. Data from Road Traffic Authority

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Traffic accidents during the Lunar New Year holiday period occur most frequently around 6 p.m. on the day before the holiday begins, when the homecoming procession starts.

According to an analysis by the Korea Road Traffic Authority of traffic accidents during the Lunar New Year holidays over the past five years (2014?2018), the number of traffic accidents on the day before the holiday began averaged about 698 per day, approximately 15% higher than the annual daily average of about 608. Accidents started to increase from the afternoon of the day before the holiday and peaked around 6 p.m. This rise in accidents is attributed to increased vehicle traffic due to overlapping of people leaving work and early homecoming trips.

Causes of Traffic Accidents During the Lunar New Year Holiday. Data from the Road Traffic Authority

Additionally, over the past five years, the leading cause of traffic accidents during the Lunar New Year holidays was failure to fulfill safe driving obligations, accounting for 6,893 cases (57%), followed by signal violations with 1,458 cases (12%), and failure to maintain a safe distance with 1,055 cases (9%). The Korea Road Traffic Authority stated, "During the holiday period, drivers often become fatigued from long hours of driving and may rush to return home or visit family, which can easily lead to accidents. Therefore, drivers need to exercise special caution."

For safe driving during the Lunar New Year holiday, it is important to allow ample time, maintain a sufficient safe distance from the vehicle ahead, and take adequate rest at rest areas or drowsiness shelters when feeling sleepy or tired before driving.

Furthermore, drivers should strictly adhere to driving rules such as ▲wearing seat belts in all seats ▲prohibiting the use of mobile phones and DMB while driving ▲no drunk driving ▲checking the engine, braking system, tire wear, and air pressure 2 to 3 days before departure.

Yoon Jong-gi, Director of the Korea Road Traffic Authority, said, "During the Lunar New Year holiday, not only does long-hour driving and holiday fatigue cause distraction, but various factors such as icy road surfaces in winter also increase the likelihood of traffic accidents. Since the whole family rides together, we hope everyone drives more carefully than usual and has a safe holiday without accidents."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.