Korea Expressway Corporation to Intensify Crackdown on Large Vehicles Violating Designated Lanes on Highways Until Year-End

Korea Expressway Corporation announced on the 3rd that it will conduct intensive crackdowns on violations of designated lanes on highways by large vehicles such as trucks and buses in cooperation with the National Police Agency until the end of this year.

Highway drone enforcement scene / Photo by Korea Expressway Corporation

According to the Road Traffic Act, small vehicles driving on highways must use the left lane, while large vehicles such as trucks and buses must use the right lane, and the first lane should only be used for overtaking.

However, as of September this year, the number of reports of violations of designated lanes on highways has reached an average of 500 cases per month, revealing frequent violations such as slow driving in the first lane and large vehicles driving in upper lanes. In such cases, 10 penalty points are imposed, and fines of 40,000 KRW for passenger cars and 50,000 KRW for vans and trucks must be paid.

When large vehicles, which have slower speeds and larger bodies compared to passenger cars, violate designated lanes, they not only disrupt traffic flow due to speed differences but also obstruct the visibility of following small vehicles, potentially leading to major pile-up accidents.

Accordingly, the Expressway Corporation plans to strengthen crackdowns by deploying safety and police patrol cars intensively in sections where designated lane violations frequently occur, in cooperation with the National Police Agency, and to conduct alarm patrols using sirens during vulnerable times.

In particular, about 400 additional drones will be deployed to reinforce patrol activities, and messages about intensive crackdowns on designated lane violations will be continuously displayed on Variable Message Signs (VMS) and placards to encourage drivers to comply with traffic regulations.

A representative of the Expressway Corporation said, "With the increase in traffic volume during the autumn outing season in November, there is concern that the frequency of violations will increase, leading to more traffic accidents," and added, "We ask for your cooperation in safe driving, including compliance with designated lanes."

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