Number of Casualties Halved Through Transport Company Inspections and Follow-up Management

Strengthening the Safety Inspection System for Commercial Vehicle Transportation

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Gang-wook] The Korea Transportation Safety Authority announced on the 20th that, as a result of conducting safety inspections and follow-up management of transportation means on 385 transportation companies, the number of traffic accident casualties last year decreased by 48.8% (from 5,884 to 3,014) compared to the previous year.

In particular, the number of deaths last year was 19, showing a sharp decline of 86.3% from 139 in 2019.

The number of traffic accidents decreased by an average of 33.7%, from 3,527 cases in 2019 to 2,339 cases last year after the inspections. By industry, the bus sector showed the largest decrease rate (-36.3%).

The Authority conducts safety inspections on transportation means by checking whether licenses, registrations, drivers, operations, education, traffic accidents, and vehicle management are properly handled. Afterward, follow-up management in the form of traffic safety consulting is carried out focusing on items that were insufficient at the time of inspection, supporting the companies to operate a stable traffic safety system.

As the traffic safety management of commercial vehicles has resulted in a decrease in traffic accidents, the transportation means safety inspection system is planned to be strengthened (serious injuries threshold changed from 3 or more to 2 or more, and a new rental car industry category established).

Kwon Yong-bok, Chairman of the Authority, emphasized, "Before improving the system, it is most important that transportation companies and drivers recognize traffic safety as the top priority," adding, "Starting this year, the Authority will do its best in cooperation with related organizations to reduce the annual number of traffic accident deaths in Korea to the 2,000s."

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