'Ticking Time Bombs' on the Road... Unending Cases of Teenage Unlicensed Driving

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Teenagers driving without a license were repeatedly caught by the police. Some were even arrested while driving under the influence in an unlicensed state.

According to the police on the 31st, the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul apprehended two individuals, elementary school student A (12) and middle school student B (13), on the 27th at around 2:30 a.m. on charges including special theft and unlicensed driving.

They are accused of stealing a vehicle in Yeongdeungpo-gu and speeding across Yongsan-gu, Seocho-gu, and Gangnam-gu for several tens of kilometers. When the police requested them to stop, they ignored the order and dangerously swerved across lanes while speeding on the road. When blocked by a patrol car near Apgujeong-ro in Gangnam-gu, they got out of the car and fled. Besides A and B, two other teenagers were in the back seat, but they are reported not to have participated in the theft.

In Busan, C (17), who was driving under the influence without a license, was caught by the police. On March 23rd at around 4 a.m., C caused a traffic accident while driving under the influence without a license on a road in Seomyeon, Busanjin-gu, Busan. The passenger car driven by C collided with another vehicle and road facilities before finally stopping. It was found that she rented a car and drove under the influence at a level warranting license cancellation.

During police questioning, C went to the restroom and escaped during a moment of lax surveillance. After realizing the escape, the police tracked her for about eight hours and reapprehended her at a house in Yeonje-gu.

In January, high school student D (17), who caused a traffic accident and fled in a stolen vehicle, was arrested by the police.

He was driving without a license in a stolen vehicle and collided with a parked car near Gildong Station in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. It was investigated that he traveled about 15 km from Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, where he stole the car, to the accident site. After causing the accident, D fled into a nearby residential area but was caught by the driver of the damaged vehicle and the police who arrived on the scene.

Meanwhile, unlicensed driving among teenagers has been on the rise since 2019. According to the National Police Agency, the number of youths caught driving without a license was 2,766 in 2017, dropped to 1,981 in 2018, but increased again to 2,187 in 2019 and 2,352 last year.

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