"Mercedes Benz Running at 247km/h"... Most of the Frenzied Races Involve 'Foreign Cars'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] Over the past five years, there have been 230 cases of "reckless speeding" at speeds exceeding 200 km/h caught by speed enforcement cameras.

According to data on '2016?2020 speeding vehicle enforcement' received by Kim Young-bae, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the Democratic Party, from the National Police Agency, there were a total of 925 cases during this period where vehicles were caught by cameras exceeding the speed limit by more than 80 km/h. Among these, 229 cases involved speeds exceeding 200 km/h.

The highest recorded speed among enforcement cases was 247 km/h, recorded in two instances. In 2016, a 1-ton Porter II truck was caught speeding at 247 km/h around 6:50 a.m. at the 70.2 km mark on the Seoul Outer Ring Expressway heading toward Pangyo. This year, a Mercedes-Benz AMG S63 passenger car was fined after speeding at the same speed on the Gwangju-Daegu Expressway in Damyang, Jeollanam-do, around 10:16 p.m.

Among the top 50 speeding cases by violation speed, imported vehicles such as Porsche, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW accounted for 38 cases, making up the majority (76%). Domestic passenger cars like the SM7 (221 km/h), Grandeur (221 km/h), and Stinger (220 km/h) were also frequently caught speeding.

Additionally, a Daewoo tractor trailer (caught at 237 km/h), a dump truck used in construction machinery (219 km/h), a Universe bus used for tourism and charter services (232 km/h), and a Karens van (237 km/h) were also caught by speed enforcement cameras while speeding well over 200 km/h.

A representative from Kim Young-bae’s office explained, "While it cannot be completely ruled out that the speed measurement cameras may have malfunctioned, the possibility is low since the objection period for those caught has already passed."

Kim Young-bae stated, "When construction equipment and large dump trucks speed over 200 km/h, they become a source of fear for regular drivers. We will prepare amendments to the Road Traffic Act to impose criminal penalties on extreme speeders and significantly increase fines."

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