Jeju Police Agency Conducts Special Crackdown on Pedestrian Safety at Crosswalks

Published 31 Oct.2022 11:25(KST)

[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Jeongpil] Jeju Police Agency (Chief Lee Sangryul) announced on the 31st that it will conduct a special crackdown for two months from next month 1st to December 31st to strengthen pedestrian safety at crosswalks.

This crackdown was prepared to promote the stable establishment of the system by conducting enforcement along with publicity and guidance as the three-month grace period for the revised Road Traffic Act, which strengthened the obligation to protect pedestrians, has ended.

The Road Traffic Act, which was enforced on July 12, requires drivers to stop not only when pedestrians are "crossing" the crosswalk but also when they are "about to cross," aiming to change the vehicle-centered traffic culture to a pedestrian-centered one by prioritizing pedestrian safety.

However, since many drivers have not yet recognized the contents of the law revision in the early stages of enforcement and the standards are somewhat unclear, various promotional activities have been carried out during the three-month grace period to help understand the revised law.

As a result of operating the three-month grace period for the revised Road Traffic Act that strengthened the obligation to protect pedestrians, right-turn traffic accidents decreased by 23.8% compared to the same period last year (from 80 to 61 cases), and fatalities decreased by 100% (from 1 to 0).

After the end of the three-month grace period, Jeju Police conducted a two-hour intensive crackdown on violations of pedestrian protection obligations at three elementary school child protection zones in the province from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the 12th, resulting in a total of 11 cases being caught.

The main enforcement items include obstructing pedestrians crossing crosswalks (requiring drivers to stop not only when pedestrians are crossing but also when they are about to cross) and the obligation to stop at crosswalks without traffic lights within child protection zones.

The enforcement method is limited to situations where pedestrians clearly indicate their intention to cross or where specific dangers are evident.

In other cases, guidance and promotional activities will continue until awareness of the system is established.

A Jeju Police official said, "The revised Road Traffic Act is not a provision to punish drivers but broadly defines situations where pedestrians should be protected to safeguard pedestrians," and urged drivers to voluntarily comply with the law to create a pedestrian-centered traffic culture beyond mere enforcement.

He added, "When passing crosswalks, always carefully observe the surroundings, and pedestrians should not forget that it is a stop signal. Drivers are asked to develop a safe driving habit of stopping whenever pedestrians are present."