On the 25th, 'Minsik's Law' Enforced... "Let's All Follow School Zone Safety Rules"

Road Traffic Authority Urges Drivers, Guardians, and Children to Take Precautions

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The Korea Road Traffic Authority (Chairman Yoon Jong-gi) emphasized the safety rules that drivers, guardians, and children must follow in preparation for the enforcement of the revised law related to school zones (commonly known as the 'Min-sik Law') on the 25th of this month.

The Authority's safety guidelines were established to prevent confusion among drivers following the enforcement of the 'Min-sik Law,' which strengthens penalties for perpetrators of traffic accidents within school zones, and to prevent traffic accidents in these zones.

The Min-sik Law consists of amendments to the Road Traffic Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. First, the Road Traffic Act mandates the installation of speed enforcement cameras, speed bumps, and traffic lights within school zones. According to the amendment, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to newly install 8,800 unmanned enforcement cameras in school zones by 2022.

Additionally, the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes considers that 54% of traffic accidents in school zones are due to drivers' failure to fulfill their duty of safe driving, and thus imposes aggravated penalties if violated. Accordingly, if a child dies due to a traffic accident in a school zone, the driver may face life imprisonment or imprisonment of three years or more; if injury is caused, imprisonment from one year to fifteen years or a fine ranging from 5 million to 30 million KRW may be imposed.

To prevent accidents in school zones, drivers must always drive slowly even if there is no enforcement camera and must come to a complete stop before crosswalks to check for children on the sidewalks. Illegal parking in school zones is also prohibited as children may suddenly run out from between parked vehicles. Drivers should be aware that children can run out between vehicles at any time and must not overtake school buses transporting children.

Guardians should teach children safe walking methods and ensure they wear protective gear when riding bicycles or kickboards. It is recommended that children wear bright-colored clothes and bags to be easily visible to drivers, and umbrellas should be bright-colored or transparent. Above all, guardians must not jaywalk and should observe proper etiquette when walking or driving.

Furthermore, guardians should instruct children to ▲avoid jaywalking ▲stop first at crosswalks and look left and right ▲raise their hand and walk only after confirming that vehicles have stopped when crossing the street. Continuous and systematic education on the importance of traffic safety at home and school is also necessary.

Detailed safety rules can be found on the Korea Road Traffic Authority's website. Chairman Yoon Jong-gi of the Korea Road Traffic Authority stated, “Along with institutional improvements to reduce child traffic accidents, it is important to make safety habits a part of daily life,” and added, “We hope everyone will practice proper driving and walking rules to create school zones free of traffic accidents.”

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