Drunk Driving Changed by COVID-19... Increase in 'Evening Time Intoxication' Accidents

Impact of Reduced Bar Operating Hours and Other Factors

Police are conducting a drunk driving crackdown on the entrance ramp to the Busan direction at Seocho IC in Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Social distancing measures due to COVID-19 have also affected drunk driving behavior. As the operating hours of restaurants and bars were shortened, the time of drunk driving accidents occurred earlier, while ‘excessive drinking’ increased.

According to the National Police Agency on the 15th, the number of drunk driving traffic accidents that occurred in the first half of this year (January to June) totaled 6,987 cases, a 17.7% decrease compared to the same period last year (8,485 cases). During this period, the number of deaths was 80 and the number of injuries was 11,008, decreasing by 47.0% and 20.7%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

Although the number of drunk driving accidents decreased, the occurrence by time of day changed. In 2019, the proportion of fatal drunk driving accidents between midnight and 6 a.m., the ‘early morning’ hours, was concentrated at 43.1%, but this year it sharply dropped to 27.5%. Conversely, the proportion during the ‘evening’ hours from 6 p.m. to midnight increased from 29.1% to 53.8% during the same period. Injury accidents also saw the early morning proportion decrease from 31.8% to 18.9%, while the evening proportion increased from 42.0% to 58.9%.

The level of excessive drinking among drunk drivers causing accidents during the COVID-19 period has increased. The number of drunk driving accidents involving severely intoxicated drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.1% or higher, well above the license cancellation level (BAC 0.08%), was 11,985 cases in 2019. Last year, when COVID-19 became widespread, it increased by 12.3% to 13,470 cases. Conversely, drunk driving accidents with a BAC below 0.1% slightly decreased from 3,392 to 3,307 cases. Although the operating hours of restaurants and bars were limited to 10 p.m., shortening the time spent drinking, the atmosphere of ‘drink short and strong’ has led to excessive drinking, according to analysis.

This change has also affected police drunk driving crackdowns. The police usually start drunk driving checks after 10 p.m., but depending on the region, they plan to adjust this time earlier and conduct tailored crackdowns. The National Police Agency plans to provide various statistical data, including analysis of drunk driving checkpoint status in accident-prone areas extracted through statistical analysis, to each city and provincial police agency to support region-specific crackdowns.

Meanwhile, from today until the end of next month, the police will carry out an ‘Intensive Drunk Driving Crackdown during Vacation Season.’ The police will use non-contact breathalyzers to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection during the crackdown process and plan to conduct inspections at major highway entrances and exits to block ‘expedition drinking parties’ according to the differences in social distancing levels by region.

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