One in Three Traffic Accident Deaths Are Pedestrians... Focus on Shared Pedestrian-Vehicle Roads

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] It has been revealed that one out of three traffic accident fatalities in South Korea is a pedestrian.

According to an analysis by the National Police Agency and the Korea Road Traffic Authority of domestic traffic accident fatalities from 2017 to last year, 38% (6,575 out of a total of 17,312 fatalities) were pedestrians. This is twice the average of 19.3% among OECD member countries. In particular, 7 out of 10 pedestrian fatalities occurred on shared roads where cars and pedestrians coexist. On these shared roads, the number of fatalities was three times higher and injuries 3.4 times higher compared to roads with sidewalks.

To address this issue, an amended Road Traffic Act guaranteeing pedestrian right of way was promulgated in October last year. It newly regulates pedestrian crossing methods on roads without sidewalks, establishes obligations for drivers to protect pedestrians, and imposes fines for violations. The law came into effect on the 20th of last month.

According to the amended Road Traffic Act, on roads without sidewalks and without a center line, pedestrians have priority over vehicles. Drivers must maintain a safe distance and slow down when passing pedestrians on the road. They must slow down or stop first if pedestrian movement is obstructed. However, pedestrians must not intentionally obstruct vehicle progress. Additionally, on roads without sidewalks but with a center line, pedestrians must walk along the edge of the road regardless of facing direction relative to vehicles.

An official from the National Police Agency stated, "The amended Road Traffic Act will alleviate the dangers felt from vehicle traffic on narrow roads to some extent." A representative from the Korea Road Traffic Authority said, "As pedestrian conditions gradually improve, related traffic accidents and casualties are also expected to decrease."

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