One in Ten Traffic Accident Deaths Caused by Jaywalking

Korea Transportation Safety Authority Reports 11.6% Decrease in Jaywalking Rate Due to Jaywalking Prohibition Facilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] It has been found that 1 out of 10 traffic accident fatalities is caused by jaywalking. To prevent this, the installation of jaywalking prohibition facilities resulted in a decrease in the jaywalking rate by more than 11%.

According to the Korea Transportation Safety Authority on the 24th, after installing jaywalking prohibition facilities at 37 pedestrian traffic accident hotspots nationwide and conducting a pedestrian behavior survey, the jaywalking rate was found to have decreased by 11.6 percentage points.

In a preliminary survey conducted before the installation of the jaywalking prohibition facilities, out of a total of 15,361 pedestrians, 2,801 (18.2%) crossed at places other than crosswalks.

Accordingly, the Authority judged that improvements were necessary to ensure pedestrian safety at the survey locations and, in collaboration with related organizations, installed 'jaywalking prohibition facilities' at a total of 37 locations (8,852m) last February. After the installation, the jaywalking rate was surveyed and found to have decreased to 6.6%, down 11.6 percentage points from 18.2% before installation.

Last year, 337 people died due to jaywalking accidents, a decrease of about 34.9% compared to 518 in 2018; however, jaywalking still accounts for 1 out of 10 traffic accident fatalities, showing a persistently high level.

An official from the Authority stated, “Although the installation of jaywalking prohibition facilities significantly reduced the proportion of pedestrians jaywalking, there are still pedestrians who do not cross at crosswalks even after the installation.” He added, “At locations where the jaywalking rate remains high, we will check whether there are factors that induce pedestrians to jaywalk, and if necessary, actively recommend to local governments the relocation of crosswalks or additional installation of jaywalking prohibition facilities.”

Kwon Yong-bok, Director of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, said, “This year, we will make every effort to create a safer Korea for pedestrians through close cooperation with related organizations, and as we are creating a pedestrian-centered traffic environment, we expect an advanced traffic culture led by pedestrians.”

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