"Traffic Accidents Increase by 11.7% in Autumn, Rear Seat Belts Must Be Worn"

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Following the relaxation of COVID-19 quarantine rules, highway traffic volume has surged, leading to a noticeable increase in traffic accidents. Traditionally, the risk of traffic accidents during the autumn holiday season, which sees the highest traffic volume, is also expected to rise, making seatbelt use essential, according to a recent investigation.

On the 16th, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Traffic Safety Culture Research Institute announced that the number of traffic accidents in October and November is 11.7% higher than in other months, with a higher fatality rate, emphasizing the urgent need for accident prevention measures.

During this summer vacation period (July-August), nationwide highway traffic volume averaged 282 million vehicles per month, marking a 12.3% increase compared to the previous year (2021).

Since the second quarter, leisure travel demand has surged sharply, and the autumn holiday season (October-November), which is the peak traffic period of the year, is also expected to see high traffic volumes.

Traffic volume from January to March 2022 started with a 3.7% decrease compared to 2021 due to the resurgence of COVID-19, but began to increase rapidly after the relaxation of quarantine rules in April 2022.

Spring traffic volume (April-June) increased by 7.7% compared to the previous year, and summer vacation traffic (July-August) rose by 12.3%. This reflects the increased demand for leisure-related travel that had been suppressed due to COVID-19.

Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance expects the autumn holiday traffic volume to be at least as high as the increase seen during this summer vacation period, estimating the average monthly highway traffic volume during the autumn holiday season to reach 297 million vehicles, a 36.4% increase compared to the first quarter.

Reviewing the past three years (2019-2021) of traffic accident data from the National Police Agency, the average monthly number of accidents during the autumn holiday season (October-November) was 19,549, approximately 2,000 cases (11.7%) higher than other periods.

The average monthly number of fatalities from traffic accidents was 300, which is 48 more (19.4%) than other periods, and the fatality rate per 100 accidents was 1.54, about 7% higher than at other times.

Traffic accidents during the autumn holiday season increased across all road types compared to average months, with particularly higher increases on high-speed roads such as highways and national/local roads than on roads managed by general local governments.

On high-speed sections (highways, general national roads, etc.), the number of traffic accidents increased by 15.7% to 18.8% during the autumn holiday season, and the number of fatalities rose by more than 25.0%.

In 2021, nearly 9,000 traffic accident casualties were not wearing seatbelts. The probability of death in a traffic accident without wearing a seatbelt was 1.69%, which is five times higher than when wearing a seatbelt.

Lim Chaehong, Senior Researcher at Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Traffic Safety Culture Research Institute, stated, "There is a need to strengthen special crackdowns and preventive campaigns against risky driving behaviors such as speeding and drowsy driving during the autumn holiday season." He urged, "To prevent fatal and serious injuries, drivers should ensure that family members or acquaintances seated in the back seat are wearing seatbelts."

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