Selective Drunk Driving Crackdown for New Coronavirus Lasts 2 Months... Increase in Drunk Driving Accidents and Decrease in Enforcement Cases

Decrease in Fatalities from Drunk Driving Accidents

In downtown Gwangju, instead of the checkpoint-style DUI inspections that were halted due to the spread of COVID-19, DUI checkpoints are being conducted by creating 'S-shaped' lanes to filter out suspected drunk driving vehicles.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Amid the shift in police drunk driving crackdown methods from mass checkpoint inspections to selective inspections due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), it has been revealed that drunk driving accidents have increased compared to previous years.

According to the National Police Agency on the 23rd, the number of drunk driving accidents that occurred over two months from January 20 to March 20 this year was 2,669, an increase of about 22% compared to the same period last year (2,188 cases). Even considering that February had 29 days, one more day than usual, the daily average number of drunk driving accidents increased by 20%.

However, the number of deaths caused by drunk driving accidents was 44, a 13.7% decrease compared to last year. During the same period, the number of drunk driving crackdowns was 15,544, a 12.7% decrease from the previous year.

As the COVID-19 situation spread, the police switched from mass checkpoint inspections to selective inspections starting January 28. This was because mass checkpoint inspections, which use one breathalyzer for multiple people, could cause public anxiety. Since then, the police have been conducting selective crackdowns by introducing a 'zigzag-type crackdown,' which involves guiding vehicles to slow down along an S-shaped course mainly in vulnerable areas such as entertainment districts and restaurant areas, then identifying and cracking down on suspicious vehicles.

At a press briefing on the same day, National Police Agency Commissioner Min Gap-ryong stated in written materials, "While maintaining a selective crackdown system to prepare for COVID-19 infection, we have instructed to actively enforce effective drunk driving prevention and crackdown cases nationwide, considering quarantine and crackdown effectiveness," emphasizing, "We will focus on cracking down on major violations that threaten lives, such as drunk driving."

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