3,079 Traffic Accident Deaths Last Year... Police Aim to Reduce to 2,000s This Year

Significant Decrease in Pedestrian Deaths
Achievements Including the Introduction of 'Safe Speed 5030'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Last year, the number of traffic accident fatalities in South Korea was recorded at a total of 3,079. Notably, pedestrian deaths showed a significant decrease.

According to the National Police Agency on the 24th, the number of traffic accident fatalities was 3,781 in 2018, 3,349 in 2019, and 3,079 last year. Since the number of traffic accident fatalities dropped below 4,000 in 2018, it has shown a steady downward trend each year.

Compared to 2017, the reduction in traffic accident fatalities is remarkable. The average daily number of traffic accident deaths last year was 8.4, which is a 26.4% decrease compared to 11.5 in 2017. In particular, during this period, pedestrian deaths decreased by 582, elderly deaths by 425, and drunk driving deaths by 171 respectively.

The police self-assessed that efforts to create a safe traffic environment and strong responses to major traffic violations led to these results. Especially, the police analyzed that lowering the speed limits in urban areas through the government-wide initiative 'Safe Speed 5030' policy had a significant effect on reducing fatalities. The substantial expansion of unmanned equipment in child protection zones and strict drunk driving crackdowns were also cited as key factors.

In line with this, the National Police Agency has set a goal to reduce traffic accident fatalities to the 2,000 range this year and plans to proactively respond to changes in the traffic environment. They will promote customized measures addressing accident factors, such as establishing a traffic accident big data analysis system, and develop a 'Traffic Safety Index' to evaluate the traffic safety levels of local governments following the implementation of the autonomous police system.

A National Police Agency official stated, "Under the policy vision that traffic safety is the best public security welfare, we will focus on human and material resources to protect the precious lives of our citizens," adding, "We ask for active participation in safe driving, such as prohibiting speeding, to establish a mature, people-centered traffic culture."

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