Police to Expand Safety Facilities in Areas with Frequent Pedestrian Traffic Accidents

Comprehensive Survey of Areas Prone to Pedestrian Traffic Accidents
Installation of Fences, Bollards, and Diagonal Crosswalks

The police will enhance safety facilities at locations where pedestrian traffic accidents frequently occur.

The National Police Agency announced on April 14 that it would work with local governments and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to reinforce and improve pedestrian safety facilities. The aim is to prevent a recurrence of incidents such as the wrong-way driving accident near City Hall Station in July 2024, and last month’s case in which a drunk driver drove onto the sidewalk, injuring four pedestrians, including two Japanese tourists.

In July 2024, near Seoul City Hall Station, a passenger car drove in the wrong direction at an intersection, hitting pedestrians and causing 9 deaths. Someone placed chrysanthemums by the roadside at the accident scene. Photo by Huh Younghan

The police conducted a comprehensive survey of pedestrian traffic accidents over the past five years, identified high-risk areas, and decided to install pedestrian protection fences. In particular, since about 66% of pedestrian traffic fatalities involve elderly pedestrians, the installation will be expanded in senior protection zones and traditional markets to help prevent such accidents. The focus will be on installing vehicle guardrails to minimize harm to pedestrians.

The police have also determined that crosswalks are vulnerable to pedestrian accidents due to signal violations, speeding, and conflicts that occur when large vehicles turn right. In cooperation with local governments, the police will expand the installation of bollards to prevent vehicles from encroaching onto sidewalks, thereby fundamentally preventing such accidents. Additionally, at intersections with heavy pedestrian traffic, the installation of “simultaneous walk signals” and “diagonal crosswalks,” which allow all-direction pedestrian movement at once, will be expanded. Pedestrian signal times will be extended in areas with high volumes of elderly or child pedestrians.

Lee Seoyoung, Director of the Life Safety and Traffic Bureau at the National Police Agency, stated, “Pedestrian fatalities in traffic accidents have increased over the past three years. We ask for the cooperation of relevant agencies and the public’s attention to ensure the smooth implementation of these safety measures.”

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