Increase in Undercover Highway Patrol Cars Leads to 77% Reduction in Accidents

Special Management Measures in Response to Rising Highway Traffic Fatalities
Strengthened Patrols During High-Risk Hours and Preventive Actions Implemented

The police are implementing special management measures in response to the increase in highway traffic fatalities.

On May 7, the National Police Agency announced that, to proactively address highway traffic accidents during Family Month and the expected increase in leisure travelers, it will utilize undercover patrol cars to intensively crack down on traffic law violations and strengthen preventive patrols.

Police undercover patrol car. Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency

According to the police, the average number of highway traffic accident casualties in May over the past three years was 973, which is 15.1% higher than the average of 845 casualties recorded from January to April. By year, the number of highway accidents in May was 480 in 2023, 452 in 2024, and 425 last year, consistently surpassing 400 cases annually. Police analysis found that in May, the highest number of accidents occurred between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM with 206 cases (15.2%). By highway route, the Gyeongbu Expressway accounted for the largest share with 276 cases (20.3%), followed by the Capital Region No. 1 Beltway with 174 cases (12.8%).

When comparing the proportion of accidents by vehicle type, passenger vehicles accounted for the largest share with 849 cases (62.6%), followed by trucks with 330 cases (24.3%), and vans with 75 cases (5.5%).

Since May 1, the National Police Agency has established a special management plan for highways and has increased the operation of undercover patrol cars by more than 60% compared to normal times across nine major highway routes near popular travel destinations. During the holiday period from May 1 to May 5, 2,384 traffic law violations were detected, including 259 cases of bus-only lane violations and 580 cases of failure to keep to designated lanes. There were only 20 traffic accidents during this period, and while the average number of daily crackdowns increased by 10.2% compared to the same period last year, the number of accidents decreased by 77.1%.

Until the end of this month, the National Police Agency plans to continue its crackdown on major traffic law violations and accident prevention activities by actively utilizing advanced equipment such as in-vehicle enforcement devices to target seatbelt non-compliance, designated lane violations, and speeding.

Lee Seoyoung, acting director of the Traffic Bureau at the National Police Agency, said, "We will do our best to ensure that everyone can use the highways safely," adding, "We ask all drivers and passengers to wear seatbelts and practice safe driving habits."

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