Average Daily Mobility Decreased by 37% During Seol Holiday Period... Traffic Accidents Also Reduced by 40%

Vehicles are moving slowly on the southbound lanes of the Gyeongbu Expressway near Jamwon IC in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 10th, one day before the Lunar New Year holiday, the biggest traditional holiday of the nation. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Gang-wook] Due to the impact of COVID-19, the number of travelers during this year’s Lunar New Year holiday period decreased by 37% compared to last year. Traffic accidents also dropped by more than 40%.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 15th that, in accordance with the prohibition of gatherings of five or more people and travel restrictions recommended due to COVID-19, the total number of travelers during this year’s special Lunar New Year transportation period (February 10?14, 5 days) was 20.44 million (an average of 4.09 million per day), a 37.1% decrease compared to last year’s Lunar New Year.

On highways, due to an increased preference for private car use amid COVID-19, the total traffic volume (20.58 million vehicles) and the average daily traffic volume (4.12 million vehicles) decreased by 10.6% compared to last year, and the times for outbound and return trips resembled those of regular weekends. Additionally, due to restrictions on public transportation seat sales, the number of railway and express bus passengers decreased by 55% and 47% respectively compared to the previous year, while air travel increased by about 2% compared to last year.

Disinfection management at major transportation facilities such as highway rest areas and airports was carried out smoothly thanks to the voluntary and active cooperation of the public. At highway rest areas, special quarantine measures such as managing entry and exit routes, controlling visitors through QR codes or simple phone verification, and prohibiting eating indoors were thoroughly implemented. Domestic airports like Jeju and Gimpo, which saw many travelers and visitors, conducted frequent disinfection and ventilation and carefully carried out quarantine measures such as temperature checks.

In particular, during this special Lunar New Year transportation period, traffic enforcement and management were strengthened using drones and undercover patrol cars, resulting in a significant decrease in traffic accidents, fatalities, and injuries. The average daily number of traffic accidents was 305, a decrease of about 40.2% compared to last year, and the average daily number of deaths and injuries were 4 and 391 respectively, down 67% and 41% compared to the previous year.

In the railway, aviation, logistics, and parcel delivery sectors, no notable accidents were reported. Regarding parcel delivery, since the special delivery period for the Lunar New Year ended on February 9, delivery volumes are expected to increase starting today, so thorough measures will be taken to ensure safe delivery and protect parcel delivery workers.

Uh Myung-so, Director General of Comprehensive Transportation Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "As with last Chuseok, this year’s special Lunar New Year transportation measures, focused on quarantine and traffic safety, appear to have been generally well implemented thanks to the active cooperation of the public." He added, "Until COVID-19 ends, each citizen should consider themselves on the front lines of COVID-19 prevention and actively participate in government quarantine measures."

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