Full Reinvestigation of Fog-Prone Sections... Promotion of 'Special Measures to Strengthen Road Safety'

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 6th that it will implement the 'Special Measures to Strengthen Road Traffic Safety' from this year through 2023 to establish a safe road environment.

First, the Ministry will conduct a comprehensive re-investigation of sections prone to fog where major accidents are likely to occur. Currently, the government has identified 106 such sections, but it will additionally investigate locations where fog with visibility under 250m occurs more than 30 days a year or where major accidents involving 10 or more vehicle pile-ups have occurred due to fog, and reinforce safety facilities accordingly.

Furthermore, to fundamentally resolve vibration issues in cable-stayed bridges vulnerable to wind, measures such as revising design standards will also be considered.

For cable-stayed bridge management, which requires more meticulous care compared to general bridges, remotely controlled robots will be utilized. These robots will inspect the external condition of cables, and in the future, development of robot technology capable of assessing not only the exterior but also internal corrosion will be pursued.

To detect abnormal signs in cable-stayed bridges in real time, aging measurement sensors attached to the bridges will be repaired. Bridges over 10 years old will have their sensors completely replaced with new ones.

Additionally, the Ministry will install acoustic sensors, fiber optic sensors, and others on major slopes to prevent rockfalls and landslides. A pilot project for a 'smart measurement system' that automatically detects risk signs will be conducted at 10 locations and later expanded mainly to slopes with high risk levels.

The standards for truck-mounted impact attenuation devices (TMA), currently only attached to work vehicles over 10 tons, will be improved to apply to smaller vehicles weighing 1 to 2.5 tons as well.

Traffic accident analysis by road management agencies will also be strengthened. The scope of investigation will be expanded from the current simple frequency-based criteria to include serious accidents such as fatal accidents caused by multi-vehicle collisions, improving infrastructure and institutional shortcomings.

Kim Yongseok, Director of the Road Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "We will prioritize securing road traffic safety and promptly and thoroughly implement follow-up measures in each detailed area of the special measures," adding, "We will do our best to create a safe road environment at the level of advanced countries in traffic safety."

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