Korea Expressway Corporation "Reduce Speed by 20~50% During Winter Rain and Snow"

by Park SeungUk

Published 06 Jan.2025 14:48(KST)

Safe Driving Required Amid Abnormal Weather Such as Heavy Rain and Snow

The view of the Jamwon IC southbound lane on the Gyeongbu Expressway in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Korea Expressway Corporation announced on the 6th that drivers should reduce their speed when using highways in preparation for winter rain and snowfall. They also urged safe driving practices such as maintaining adequate distance between vehicles, equipping winter tires, and preparing winter equipment.

Since braking distance increases during rain or snowfall, road travel speed should be reduced by 20-50% compared to normal conditions. According to braking distance experiments conducted by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, at a driving speed of 60 km/h on icy roads, the braking distance increases by 4.9 times for passenger cars and 7.5 times for trucks compared to dry pavement. Additionally, sufficient distance from the vehicle ahead should be maintained to prepare for unexpected situations that may occur while driving.

In particular, when traveling through snowy areas, drivers should equip winter tires and prepare winter gear such as urethane chains before departure to handle situations where vehicle control becomes difficult due to heavy snowfall. According to experiments conducted by the Expressway Corporation on braking distance, climbing on snowy roads, and cornering with different winter equipment, vehicles equipped with winter tires or urethane chains performed better in braking and cornering than those with regular tires.

Furthermore, it is important to check weather forecasts in advance. On November 27-28 last year, record-breaking heavy snowfall in major metropolitan areas caused numerous traffic accidents and vehicle congestion. The maximum snowfall recorded at that time was 28.6 cm in Seoul and 43.0 cm in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

Heo Jeong-cheol, Director of Disaster Management at the Expressway Corporation, said, "The Expressway Corporation is making every effort in snow removal operations and monitoring to ensure safe highways during winter," and added, "Even after snow removal, braking distances can increase, so we urge drivers to drive safely."