5000 Bicycle Accidents Annually... Songpa-gu's 'Visiting Bicycle Safety Education'

Annual 5,000 Bicycle Accidents and 6,000 Injuries Highlight Urgent Need for Safety Education...Expectations for Establishing a Safe Bicycle Culture in the 'COVID-19' Era

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) is conducting a "Visiting Safety Education" program for bicycle beginners in response to the increased use of bicycles due to COVID-19.

According to statistics from the National Police Agency and the Road Traffic Authority, there were 5,667 accidents nationwide in 2020 alone, resulting in 6,150 injuries and 83 deaths.

This represents an increase of about 130 injuries compared to 2019.

In response, Songpa-gu, with the active cooperation of Pungseong Middle School located in Pungnap-dong, has launched bicycle safety education.

The education sessions will be held a total of nine times: 1st round (6/7, 6/9, 6/11), 2nd round (6/14, 6/16, 6/18), and 3rd round (6/21, 6/23, 6/25), each from 3 PM for two hours at the Pungseong Middle School playground (27, Gangdong-daero 2-gil, Songpa-gu).

The lectures consist of ▲theoretical education on traffic safety laws including bicycles ▲practical bicycle riding training, conducted in small groups with one instructor focusing on three participants, and no separate materials are required.

Additionally, those who complete the bicycle safety education are eligible to take the Seoul City "Bicycle Riding Ability Certification," and their education history is managed through the Seoul Lifelong Education Learning Portal.

The "Bicycle Riding Ability Certification" was introduced to establish a safe bicycle usage culture and offers incentives such as reduced usage fees for the shared bicycle service "Ddareungi."

Applications can be made through the Seoul Lifelong Education Learning Portal, and detailed information is available at the district office's Transportation Division.

Mayor Park Seong-su stated, "To spread a safe bicycle usage culture, we have prepared education where instructors visit school playgrounds directly," adding, "We will also do our best to improve urban infrastructure to increase bicycle usage, which is gaining attention as an eco-friendly and non-face-to-face transportation method in the COVID-19 era."

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