"Effective in Preventing Traffic Accidents"... Seoul City to Add 2 Undercover Patrol Cars Next Year

As a result of undercover patrol cars operating in Seoul, traffic fatalities have been reduced by more than half compared to the previous year.

The Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 1st that since April, they have added two more undercover patrol cars, effective in educating and cracking down on traffic violations, expanding the total number to five including the existing three, to enforce traffic regulations.

The five undercover patrol cars are rotated every 1 to 2 months based on monthly traffic accident analyses to areas where undercover patrols are needed. They have been cracking down on violations such as crossing the center line, reckless driving, and cutting in, as well as strengthening enforcement against motorcycles and personal mobility devices (PM), which have recently emerged as social issues.

In particular, while undercover patrol cars were mainly operated on exclusive roads, from this year they have been expanded to general roads, greatly contributing to the prevention of traffic accidents in downtown Seoul. As a result of undercover patrol car operations (April 15 to July 31, 2023), traffic fatalities in the relevant police stations decreased by 56.5% compared to the same period last year (from 23 to 10), and traffic accidents decreased by 10.4% (from 2,016 to 1,806).

Additionally, the average number of enforcement actions per undercover patrol car was 151.4% higher than that of regular traffic patrol cars. Especially for motorcycles, enforcement increased by 180.4% (undercover 2,350 cases, regular 838 cases), showing significant effectiveness in cracking down on motorcycles, which have high rates of traffic violations and accidents.

With the proven enforcement effectiveness of undercover patrol cars, the Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee plans to discuss with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the Seoul Climate and Environment Headquarters to add two more undercover patrol cars next year.

Furthermore, to minimize negative perceptions of undercover patrol cars and gain public consensus, the committee decided to carry out proactive, field-centered public relations activities targeting citizens through the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and each police station.

Kim Hak-bae, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee, stated, “The education and enforcement by undercover patrol cars create awareness that traffic violations can be caught anytime and anywhere, encouraging citizens to comply with the law on their own.” He added, “The committee plans to gradually expand the number of undercover patrol cars, which have proven effective in preventing traffic accidents, and asks for active cooperation from citizens in observing traffic regulations.”

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