'Safe Speed 5030' Fully Implemented Nationwide on the 17th... "Slow Down for Safety"

Pilot Operation Area Sees Decrease in Traffic Accident Deaths and Serious Injuries
Limited Expansion of Traffic Congestion
Korea Road Traffic Authority Strives for Prompt Stabilization

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The "Safe Speed 5030" policy, which lowers the speed limit to 50 km/h in urban areas and to 30 km/h or less on residential and side streets, was fully implemented nationwide on the 17th. Despite some concerns about worsening traffic congestion, there are high expectations that traffic accidents and pedestrian fatalities will decrease.

In fact, in regions where Safe Speed 5030 was piloted, the number of traffic accident fatalities and serious injuries significantly declined. According to the "Comprehensive Effect Analysis of Safe Speed 5030," conducted jointly by the Korea Road Traffic Authority and the National Police Agency in 13 pilot cities nationwide, the number of traffic accident fatalities dropped by 39%, from 102 before implementation to 62 after. Serious injuries also decreased by 15%, from 3,165 before to 2,697 after implementation.

Specifically, comparing the average number of fatalities by accident type over the three years before the pilot and the six months after, pedestrian-involved accidents decreased from 48 to 32, vehicle-to-vehicle accidents from 32 to 21, and single-vehicle accidents from 22 to 9. Conversely, concerns were raised that the lowered speed limits would cause severe traffic congestion, but the actual reduction in average vehicle travel speed was only about 3%.

Efforts to ensure the swift establishment of the Safe Speed 5030 policy continue. The Korea Road Traffic Authority is currently providing consulting on improvement works to local governments and police agencies. The consulting areas include ▲validity review of speed limit reductions on the relevant sections ▲appropriateness review of safety signs and road markings ▲signal coordination (improvement of intersection signal systems), among others.

Additionally, the Authority plans to strengthen public policy promotion through its own online and offline channels. TBN Korea Traffic Broadcasting, which airs in 12 regions nationwide, has dedicated safety content related to "Safe Speed 5030." Guidance will also continue through the Authority’s official SNS channels.

Lee Joo-min, Director of the Korea Road Traffic Authority, stated, “The Authority will accelerate efforts to build a safe road traffic environment to ensure the successful establishment of the Safe Speed 5030 policy. Since the policy’s effectiveness has been verified through pilot operations, we hope the public will actively participate in creating a safe road traffic culture centered on pedestrian-friendly driving.”

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