Government Conducts Joint Inspection on Drunk Driving and Child Traffic Safety During Spring Outing Season

by Roh Kyungjo

Published 19 Apr.2023 06:00(KST)

The government announced on the 19th that it will hold a joint safety measures inspection meeting with related agencies on vulnerable areas of traffic accidents. This meeting will focus on measures to eradicate drunk driving and on vulnerable areas such as child protection zones and cargo truck safety.

A child is putting on a backpack safety cover and heading to school in front of Eonbuk Elementary School in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

First, to eradicate drunk driving, the government has designated the period until the 31st of next month as a special crackdown period and plans to conduct intensive inspections day and night. In particular, in addition to existing nighttime restaurant districts and highway tollgates and entrances/exits, enforcement will target vulnerable times and areas such as child protection zones, hiking and tourist sites.

To systematically manage child protection zones, the government will investigate the current status of safety facilities including protective fences and prepare improvement measures. Intensive crackdowns will also be conducted on major accident-causing behaviors such as pedestrian protection violations and signal violations.

To enhance the safety of commercial cargo trucks, related agencies are continuously guiding and cracking down on safe driving practices such as improper loading. Additionally, during the intensive crackdown periods in the first half (April to June) and second half (September to November) of this year, enforcement and guidance on traffic law violations will be strengthened at expressways (tollgates and rest areas), national roads (overload inspection stations), and areas near ports.

On highways, to prevent traffic accidents caused by drowsy driving and neglect of forward attention duties, rest areas such as drowsy driving shelters and cargo truck lounges will continue to be expanded. Furthermore, random inspections will be conducted six times a month using advanced technology such as drones (54 units) at major rest areas and junctions, covering seatbelt use while driving, compliance with designated lanes, and drunk driving.

Each city and province plans to thoroughly inspect vulnerable traffic accident sections to reinforce safety facilities and strengthen parking and stopping enforcement in zones protecting vulnerable road users. With the cooperation of city and provincial police agencies, strong measures will be taken against traffic law violations.

Kim Su-sang, Director of the Transportation and Logistics Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "With the mask-wearing mandate lifted and the arrival of the spring outing season, a sharp increase in mobility is expected." He added, "Each agency should devote special effort and attention to strengthening traffic safety, and the public should help establish a culture of traffic safety in daily life through safe driving and compliance with traffic laws."