Police Promote Special Traffic Safety Campaign During Chuseok Holiday... Conduct Drunk Driving Crackdown

Vehicles moving slowly on the highway / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The National Police Agency announced on the 4th that it plans to carry out special traffic safety activities nationwide ahead of the Chuseok holiday, the first since the lifting of social distancing measures.

The activity period will last for eight days, from the 5th to the 12th. During the three days before the Chuseok holiday, safety management will focus on congested areas such as traditional markets. From the day before the holiday and for five days thereafter, the National Police Agency and city/provincial police agencies will operate traffic control rooms to closely manage highways and other routes used for returning home and traveling back. The police will conduct crackdowns using 42 unmarked patrol cars and 10 drones in cooperation with the Korea Expressway Corporation during this period. Additionally, based on accident statistics, 30 accident-prone locations will be selected for enhanced safety patrols. To prevent drunk driving, mobile crackdowns will be conducted mainly at highway rest areas, and continuous crackdowns tailored to the characteristics of each city and provincial police agency will be implemented.

This activity is a measure taken in response to the expected highway traffic congestion and increased accident risk during the first Chuseok holiday since the lifting of social distancing. In fact, the expected average daily highway traffic volume during this year’s Chuseok holiday is 5.42 million vehicles, an increase of 13.4% compared to 4.78 million vehicles last year.

According to an analysis of traffic accidents during the Chuseok holiday over the past five years by the National Police Agency, the day before the holiday recorded the highest number of accidents. The average daily traffic accidents during the Chuseok holiday were 471 cases, about 20% less than the usual 589 cases, but the day before the holiday saw 825 cases, an increase of more than 40% compared to usual. By time of day, most accidents occurred in the afternoon after lunch. 38% of all accidents were concentrated between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Highway accidents mainly occurred on the Gyeongbu Expressway and the Seohaean Expressway. About one-third of all highway accidents happened on these two expressways.

A National Police Agency official stated, "Recently, due to the lifting of social distancing and other factors, traffic accidents have been increasing compared to the COVID-19 period," adding, "During the holiday period, the police plan to mobilize all available personnel to ensure traffic safety and smooth flow through selective and focused stepwise traffic management."

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