"Stop When Pedestrians Appear!" ... Busan Police Agency Actively Promotes Enforcement of 'Strengthened Pedestrian Protection' Road Traffic Act

Revised Road Traffic Act Promotional Poster.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency has actively launched a public campaign to inform citizens about the revised Road Traffic Act, which will be implemented consecutively in April and July 2022.

As the obligation to protect pedestrians is significantly strengthened, this effort aims to prevent unexpected disadvantages for drivers and continuously promote a pedestrian-centered traffic culture to prevent traffic fatalities.

The current Road Traffic Act stipulates that pedestrians must walk along the edge of the road on roads where sidewalks and carriageways are not separated.

However, starting from the 20th of this month, if the road does not have a sidewalk or carriageway separation and lacks a center line, pedestrians will be allowed to walk on any part of the road.

If there is a center line, pedestrians must continue to walk only along the edge of the road, as is currently required.

Drivers must slow down or stop temporarily to allow pedestrians to walk safely on roads without a center line and without sidewalk or carriageway separation, such as residential back streets.

From July 12th, the strengthened pedestrian protection obligations will apply not only on roads but also in places outside roads, such as apartment complexes and parking lots.

At crosswalks, the previous law required drivers to stop only when pedestrians were crossing, but the revised law includes cases where pedestrians intend to cross as well.

In child protection zones, at crosswalks without traffic signals, drivers must always stop and then proceed slowly regardless of whether pedestrians are present.

A new provision allows local government heads to designate ‘Pedestrian Priority Roads.’

When designated as a pedestrian priority road, pedestrians may walk on any part of the road.

Drivers must stop and proceed slowly when pedestrians are crossing, and if deemed necessary, vehicle speeds may be limited to within 20 km/h.

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency has made various efforts to establish a pedestrian-centered traffic culture.

The ‘Safe Speed 5030’ initiative began as a pilot in Yeongdo-gu, Busan in 2017 and was implemented citywide in Busan in 2020, the first among metropolitan local governments.

To create a pedestrian-centered traffic culture, the ‘Saboi-lmeom’ campaign, which encourages drivers to stop whenever they see pedestrians, has also been actively promoted.

As an extension of the pedestrian-centered traffic culture movement, the agency plans to actively promote the revised pedestrian-centered Road Traffic Act, which will take effect from April.

Although the number of traffic accident fatalities in South Korea has steadily decreased, the proportion of pedestrian fatalities among traffic deaths remains high at about 35% as of 2021.

A representative of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said, “According to the new Road Traffic Act, drivers will bear heavier responsibility in pedestrian accidents on residential back streets than before,” adding, “It is time to familiarize ourselves with the strengthened regulations and adopt defensive driving habits that prioritize pedestrians.”

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