Police Implement Special Traffic Management Measures for Seol Holiday... "No More Cheating Drivers"

Focusing on Ensuring Traffic Flow in Habitual Congestion Zones

Reference photo of Seoul Tollgate on the Gyeongbu Expressway.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] During the Lunar New Year holiday period, there will be focused crackdowns on 'selfish driving' behaviors such as driving on the shoulder and cutting in line. Police and equipment will be intensively deployed in high-accident areas, and undercover patrol cars and drones will be stationed at various points on highways to monitor illegal activities.

The National Police Agency announced on the 9th that it will implement a "Special Traffic Management Plan for the Lunar New Year Holiday" with these measures.

The police plan to focus on cracking down on selfish driving on highways, including violations of designated lanes, driving on the shoulder, and cutting in line. An analysis of public reports over the past three years showed that the most frequently reported traffic violations on highways during the Lunar New Year holiday were driving on the shoulder (41.8%). This was followed by designated lane violations (32.3%) and cutting in line (12.2%).

For this crackdown, 42 undercover patrol cars and drones will be utilized. The drones for enforcement will be used in cooperation with the Korea Expressway Corporation in locations where patrol cars have difficulty accessing due to congestion, and will be deployed in high-traffic sections for five days, including the holiday period. Additionally, cooperation with express bus and charter bus operators will enable public reporting of violations in bus-only lanes using black boxes installed on buses.

Furthermore, by analyzing statistics from the past five years, the top 30 high-accident locations, including the Seo-Pyeongtaek Junction on the Seohaean Expressway, have been selected for customized traffic safety activities. In these selected areas, available personnel and equipment will be maximally mobilized to conduct visible patrols repeatedly during high-risk times, and 66 mobile unmanned enforcement devices will be deployed.

Inspections for drunk driving and seatbelt non-compliance will also be conducted simultaneously. In cases of congestion at tollgate sections, vehicle entry onto the highway will be controlled while using non-contact detectors to enforce drunk driving checks and verify seatbelt usage among occupants.

To ensure smooth traffic flow, police officers will be assigned to habitual congestion areas, and in cooperation with the Expressway Corporation, measures such as controlling vehicle entry at service areas and enhancing detour guidance via highway electronic signboards for national and local roads will be strengthened.

A National Police Agency official urged, "Although a decrease in vehicle movement is expected due to people refraining from visiting their hometowns amid the COVID-19 situation, we ask all drivers to obey traffic laws to ensure a safe and enjoyable Lunar New Year holiday even during unavoidable travel."

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