Safety Helmet Non-Wearing in Enforcement Blind Spots, Now Caught by Rear Cameras

Introduction of Equipment with Rear Monitoring Function
Death Risk About 3 Times Higher Without Wearing Safety Helmet

The police plan to implement unmanned enforcement against two-wheeler riders not wearing helmets using 'rear enforcement cameras' that capture the rear license plates of vehicles.

The National Police Agency announced that starting from the 8th, rear enforcement equipment equipped with helmet non-wearing detection functions will be installed at 73 locations nationwide alongside signal and speeding enforcement, to conduct enforcement, guidance, and publicity. From March 1, formal enforcement will gradually begin.

A delivery worker without safety gear is waiting at a traffic signal at an intersection. [Image source=Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

Under the current Road Traffic Act, a fine of 20,000 KRW is imposed if a two-wheeler rider is caught not wearing a helmet. The rear enforcement cameras deployed for this unmanned enforcement have been installed in 3 locations in Seoul, 7 in Busan, 3 in Incheon, 2 in Daejeon, 36 in Gyeonggi Nambu, 4 in Chungbuk, 2 in Chungnam, 5 in Gyeongbuk, 6 in Gyeongnam, 1 in Jeju, and 4 in Jeonbuk.

The reason the National Police Agency is cracking down on two-wheeler riders not wearing helmets is due to safety concerns. An analysis of traffic accident records from 2018 to 2022 by the National Police Agency showed that the driver fatality rate in traffic accidents was 1.36% for four-wheeled vehicles, whereas it was 2.54% for two-wheelers, nearly double. In particular, when two-wheeler riders were not wearing helmets, the fatality rate was 6.40%, about three times higher compared to when helmets were worn (2.15%).

Existing unmanned enforcement cameras only recognize the front part of vehicles, making them ineffective for enforcing two-wheelers like motorcycles that have license plates on the rear. However, this enforcement uses rear enforcement cameras to track the rear license plates of vehicles entering specific zones.

The police plan to enhance the equipment by cooperating with local governments in the future, adding rear enforcement functions to front enforcement cameras installed on one-lane roads (two-lane roads round-trip) in child protection zones, among other measures.

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