Child Traffic Accident Deaths Decrease 95% Over 20 Years... 0.4 per 100,000 People

"Leap to Global Standards
Continuous Attention Needed to Eradicate Child Accidents"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Ahead of Children's Day on the 5th, a meaningful analysis revealed that the number of child traffic accident fatalities has decreased to one-twentieth over the past 20 years.

The Korea Road Traffic Authority announced on the 4th that, based on an analysis of traffic accidents from 2000 to 2020, the number of traffic accident deaths among children aged 12 and under dropped from 555 to 24, a 95.7% decrease. Compared to the overall traffic accident fatalities during the same period, which decreased to about one-third, this represents a significant reduction.

Following this trend, the child traffic accident fatality rate per 100,000 population decreased from 1.6 in 2010 to 0.6 in 2018, falling below the OECD average of 0.8. In particular, it is expected to rank among the top in OECD countries by dropping further to 0.4 in 2020.

Min Kyung-jin, head of the Traffic Accident Comprehensive Analysis Center at the Korea Road Traffic Authority, said, "Through nationwide efforts to prevent child traffic accidents, Korea's child traffic safety has advanced to a world-class level," and added, "Continuous attention is needed to eradicate child traffic accidents."

Meanwhile, the Authority noted that child traffic accidents tend to concentrate in May, when Children's Day occurs, and called for special caution from drivers and guardians during outdoor activities.

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