Extreme Cold Wave and Snowy Roads 'Freezing Traffic Accident' Warning... Bridges, Overpasses, and Intersections Are Vulnerable

Road Traffic Authority Releases Data on Frequent Accident Areas Over the Past 5 Years
9 Cases Occurred at Ansan Seonbu Overpass, the Highest... Fatalities on Sangju-Yeongcheon Expressway
In Seoul, the Most Frequent Site Is Near Yeongdong Bridge South End Intersection with 5 Cases

In the past five years, the highest number of icy road traffic accidents nationwide occurred near Seonbugo High School in Seonbu-dong, Ansan City. [Data provided by Road Traffic Authority Traffic Accident Analysis System (TAAS)]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] With the extreme cold wave dropping below minus 10 degrees Celsius over the Christmas weekend, snowfall is expected across various parts of the country, requiring special caution against road icing traffic accidents. In particular, accidents are concentrated in vulnerable icing areas such as bridges, overpasses, and intersections, so drivers must navigate these sections with extra care to prevent accidents.

According to an analysis of 68 'frequent icing accident areas' over the past five years (2016?2020) released by the Road Traffic Authority's Traffic Accident Analysis System (TAAS) on the 25th, the location with the highest number of accidents was near Doil Intersection in Seonbu-dong, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi Province. This area features the Seonbu Overpass, a curved elevated road, where a total of 9 accidents occurred, resulting in 28 injuries.

The area with the highest number of casualties was the Sangju-Yeongcheon Expressway in Sobo-myeon, Gunwi-gun, Gyeongbuk Province. Two accidents occurred there, causing 32 casualties. This includes the '29-vehicle chain collision traffic accident' in February 2019, which resulted in 6 deaths and 14 injuries. The day before the accident, subzero temperatures and light rain created 'black ice,' which led to the major accident.

Other sections with more than 10 casualties include areas near Bia Overpass in Bia-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju (5 accidents, 12 injuries); near Yongsin Overpass in Bono-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi Province (3 accidents, 11 injuries); near Tapgol Underpass in Gusan-dong, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province (3 accidents, 10 injuries); near Norumok Bridge in Pung-dong, Chungju-si, Chungbuk Province (3 accidents, 10 injuries); near Oryu Bridge in Iyang-myeon, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam Province (3 accidents, 10 injuries); near Sampo Overpass in Samho-eup, Yeongam-gun, Jeonnam Province (3 accidents, 12 injuries); and Seongju-ro in Seonnam-myeon, Seongju-gun, Gyeongbuk Province (2 accidents, 1 death, 9 injuries). Many of these are vulnerable icing areas such as bridges, overpasses, and intersections.

Black Ice Card News produced by the Korea Road Traffic Authority. [Provided by Korea Road Traffic Authority]

The location with the most icing accidents in Seoul was near the southern end intersection of Yeongdong Bridge in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, where 5 accidents occurred, injuring 9 people. Following this were the Arirang Hill intersection area in Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu (4 accidents, 5 injuries), near Daejin Girls' High School in Junggye-dong, Nowon-gu (3 accidents, 4 injuries), and near Seokyeong University in Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu (3 accidents, 3 injuries), all listed as frequent accident zones.

Additionally, Suwon-si in Gyeonggi Province was identified as having the most frequent icing accident areas among basic local governments nationwide, with five locations: near Sungkyunkwan University Station in Yuljeon-dong, Jangan-gu; near Ingye Intersection in Gwonsun-dong, Gwonsun-gu; near Gyodong Intersection in Maegyo-dong, Paldal-gu; near Saesaengmyeong Church in Yeongtong-dong, Yeongtong-gu; and near Small and Medium Business Support Center Intersection in Iui-dong, Yeongtong-gu. All these areas have heavy traffic and are vulnerable to icing due to overpasses or intersections.

Meanwhile, a total of 527 icing accidents occurred nationwide last year, resulting in 14 deaths. Choi Seok-hoon, head of the Big Data Convergence Division at the Road Traffic Authority, emphasized, "When the road surface is frozen, avoid sudden braking or sharp steering maneuvers, and drive following the tracks left by the vehicle ahead to prevent slipping." He added, "The fatality rate of icing traffic accidents is 1.7 times higher than that of overall traffic accidents, so reducing speed and maintaining a safe distance are of utmost importance."

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