Despite COVID-19, Highway Traffic Volume Remains Unchanged... Police Promote 'Holiday Season Traffic Safety Measures'

Average Daily 4.52 Million Vehicles in September at Usual Level
Constant Drunk Driving Checks and Camcorder Surveillance at Tourist Spots
Undercover Patrol Cars Deployed on Highways

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The National Police Agency announced on the 11th that it will implement the "Autumn Outing Season Traffic Safety Measures" from the 12th of this month to the 30th of next month, as the number of outing vehicles increases in the autumn season.

According to the police, despite the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), this year's highway traffic volume is not significantly different from previous years. Highway traffic volume increased from an average of 3.88 million vehicles per day in March, when the first wave of COVID-19 occurred, to 4.51 million in May, and recovered to last year's level of 4.52 million in September.

In addition, an analysis of traffic accidents over the past five years showed that the average monthly pedestrian, freight vehicle, and highway fatal accidents from October to December increased by 36.1%, 24.6%, and 15.3%, respectively, compared to January to September.

The police plan to strengthen safety management measures for high-risk groups, anticipating an increase in traffic volume and traffic accidents this autumn despite COVID-19.

First, they will conduct continuous day and night drunk driving crackdowns focusing on vulnerable points such as restaurants near autumn foliage spots and tourist attractions. For motorcycles, enforcement will be expanded using camcorders, focusing on habitual violation areas and accident-prone locations.

On highways, undercover patrol cars will be used to expand crackdowns on reckless driving, retaliatory driving, and designated lane violations. For freight vehicles, there will be focused enforcement and investigation on unauthorized removal of speed limiters and overloading.

Including 26 locations where major traffic accidents have occurred, accident-prone spots will be jointly inspected with related agencies, and insufficient safety facilities will be reinforced. Furthermore, visible traffic management efforts such as vehicle flow control will be strengthened in collaboration with cooperative organizations around highways, national roads, and congested areas connected to major outing spots.

A National Police Agency official urged, "To ensure a safe and happy autumn outing, please strictly follow basic safety rules such as wearing seat belts in all seats, taking sufficient rest to prevent drowsy driving, and absolutely prohibiting drunk driving."

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