One Year of the 'Minsik Act'... Government Significantly Strengthens Legal Revisions and Protection Zone Management

Mandatory Vehicle Stop at Unsignalized Crosswalks... Introduction of Protection Zone Certification System
5,529 Unmanned Traffic Enforcement Devices Installed, Signal Reinforcement at 3,330 Unsignalized Crosswalks

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 25th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will revise laws to strengthen the protection of child pedestrians and enhance the management of school zones in line with the first anniversary of the implementation of the Min-sik Act.

On the 24th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced future plans following up on the "Measures to Strengthen Traffic Safety in School Zones," jointly prepared by related agencies last January. The plans focus on improving safety facilities in school zones, eradicating unsafe practices, establishing a child-first traffic culture, and strengthening safety obligations for school buses.

Last year, the Ministry actively expanded the installation of safety facilities such as unmanned traffic enforcement equipment and focused on improving regulations related to illegal parking and school buses. In particular, 281 illegal roadside parking lots were abolished, and the Road Traffic Act enforcement decree was amended to increase fines and penalties for illegal parking and stopping vehicles from twice to three times the amount applied on general roads. As a result, the number of traffic accidents and fatalities in school zones decreased by 15.7% and 50%, respectively, compared to the previous year, while the average vehicle speed and speeding rate also dropped by 6.7% and 18.6%, respectively.

This year, following last year, the Ministry will significantly improve safety facilities. It will mandate vehicles to stop temporarily at crosswalks without traffic signals and introduce pedestrian-priority roads on roads where sidewalks and roadways are not separated, granting pedestrians the right of way. The Road Traffic Act will be amended to allow areas frequently used by children to be designated as school zones even if they are outside the designated range (within a 300-meter radius from the main entrance).

Additionally, to expand safety facilities, 5,529 unmanned traffic enforcement devices will be installed, and traffic signals will be added to 3,330 crosswalks without signals. The installation of yellow carpets will be expanded to 900 schools to help drivers easily recognize children in school zones, and pilot projects (29 locations) will be conducted to establish successful models for school zone improvements.

In response to strengthened illegal parking regulations, the Ministry is also considering introducing new facilities such as exclusive road markings for school zones. Enforcement devices will be installed at 2,323 locations with high frequencies of illegal parking around elementary schools, and public parking supply will be expanded to alleviate parking difficulties.

Furthermore, traffic safety guidance activities for children’s commuting to and from school, utilizing senior citizen job programs, will be expanded to all elementary schools nationwide by 2022. To establish a culture prioritizing child protection, events that the general public can easily participate in will be continuously held, and joint promotions with related agencies linked to corporate social responsibility activities will also be expanded.

The Ministry will also newly introduce a "School Zone Certification System" in the second half of the year to systematically maintain safety facilities that are outdated or neglected and do not meet guidelines through regular evaluations by traffic safety specialized institutions. Joint inspections of facilities operating child school buses will be regularly conducted by related agencies, and old vehicles over 11 years old among child school buses operated by kindergartens, schools, and academies will be replaced early.

Kim Hee-gyeom, Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "We will cooperate with related ministries and local governments to ensure that our precious children do not lose their lives or get injured in traffic accidents and will carry out these plans without any setbacks."

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