Bus that hit a student at the intersection and just left... Long way to go for right turn stop

On the 21st, the grace period for the enforcement of the Road Traffic Act regulations ended, requiring vehicles turning right at intersections to make a complete stop if the straight-ahead signal is red. However, confusion continues at the scene.

Recently, in Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi Province, a shocking accident occurred where a bus turned right at an intersection without stopping and hit a middle school student.

On the 27th, the Gimpo Police Station in Gyeonggi announced that they had booked a bus driver in his 70s, Mr. A, without detention on charges of hit-and-run causing injury under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. Mr. A is accused of hitting and fleeing the scene after hitting a 12-year-old middle school student, Ms. B, who was crossing the crosswalk while turning right with his bus at an intersection in Gimpo-si at 8:08 a.m. on the 17th.

On the 21st, ahead of the full-scale crackdown on vehicles violating the right-turn stop rule, a sign related to the right-turn stop was posted at a crosswalk near Seoul Station. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

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Ms. B, who was hit by the bus, suffered head injuries and was diagnosed with a three-week recovery period at the hospital. It was found that Mr. A did not make a complete stop while turning right despite the front vehicle signal being red. Mr. A reportedly told the police, "I thought the bus wheel got caught on a stone," and "I did not realize I hit a person and continued driving."

According to the revised Road Traffic Act enforcement regulations, drivers must stop when the front vehicle signal is red. Then, if there are no pedestrians on the front crosswalk, they may proceed to turn right slowly. If pedestrians are present, drivers must wait until the pedestrians have completely crossed before turning right.

When the front vehicle signal is green, drivers may turn right slowly. However, even then, if there are pedestrians on the front crosswalk, they must stop first. If there is a right-turn signal, drivers should follow that signal.

However, at the scene, some drivers do not follow the changed regulations or are unaware that the law has changed. On the 24th, the Eunpyeong Police Station in Seoul conducted a special crackdown on right-turn stops for about 40 minutes at the intersection in front of Gupabal Station, and found that one vehicle was caught every two minutes. Despite the three-month grace period, many people still do not comply with the right-turn regulations.

Among drivers, there are complaints that the right-turn rules are ambiguous and complicated to respond to immediately depending on the situation. The procedure varies depending on the front signal and the presence of pedestrians, and since the rules themselves are not simple, confusion often arises. It is also said that the fact that there are two crosswalks that vehicles encounter when turning right causes confusion about when and where to follow the rules.

Regarding this, Professor Jeong Ui-seok of the Road Traffic Authority’s Safety Education Department explained in an interview with CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" that the fundamental principle of right turns is "to prioritize pedestrian protection, so if there is a pedestrian risk, a complete stop is mandatory."

He added, "The second crosswalk encountered when turning right remains the same as before. Regardless of the pedestrian signal, if there are no pedestrians, you may turn right, but if there are pedestrians, you must make a complete stop regardless of the pedestrian signal."

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