Insufficient Safety Facilities on Mountainous Downhill Road... Forewarned Jeju Four-Car Pileup

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters reporters Park Chang-won and Hwang Jeong-pil] As the so-called fade phenomenon (loss of braking power due to continuous brake use on a downhill slope) is cited as the cause of the four-vehicle pileup at the intersection near the entrance of Jeju National University, where 62 people were injured or killed, it has been confirmed that similar types of accidents occurred in the past on the 5·16 Road connected to the accident site.

According to the police on the 8th, in 2014, a 4.5-ton cargo truck descending the 5·16 Road toward the entrance of Jeju National University Hospital crossed the center line and collided with two vehicles in succession.

Two female university students and a taxi driver died in this accident, and the police concluded that the accident was caused by brake overheating.

Earlier, in 2012, more than 60 people were injured in a chartered bus accident during a school trip.

The common cause of these past accidents was the braking system problem caused by repeated acceleration and deceleration on the 5·16 Road, which is characterized by steep slopes and continuous downhill sections typical of mountain roads, involving large vehicles such as buses and cargo trucks.

In fact, drivers involved in the accidents all stated during police investigations that “the brakes did not work.”

Moreover, it is presumed that the braking power was significantly reduced because the operating vehicles were heavier than regular passenger cars, but it was found that there were no emergency braking facilities on the downhill sections.

Experts advise that on roads with long downhill slopes like the 5·16 Road, frequent use of the foot brake generates friction heat, which can cause vapor lock or fade phenomena leading to loss of braking power, and recommend safety facilities to prevent accidents.

The 5·16 Road, with a significant portion of its 40.5 km length being downhill, is a typical mountain road and is also known for frequent large-scale traffic accidents.

It is a road avoided by those in the cargo transport industry.

Jeju’s representative mountain roads include the 5·16 Road and the 1100 Road.

There was consideration to install artificial slopes to quickly stop vehicles on steep slopes on these roads, but the plan was scrapped due to concerns about environmental damage to Hallasan Mountain.

Currently, Jeju Island prohibits cargo trucks transporting the local bottled water brand Samdasoo from operating on Hallasan mountain roads.

However, other cargo trucks operate depending on the driver’s choice.

The problem lies with truck drivers who lack experience driving in the region.

The cargo truck driver involved in the recent four-vehicle pileup in Jeju also reportedly admitted after the accident that he was inexperienced in driving in the area.

During the police investigation, he stated, “I heard that I should not drive on the 5·16 Road and 1100 Road in Jeju,” but added, “I drove according to the navigation system’s guidance.”

Regarding this, an industry insider analyzed, “If the driver who caused this accident had loaded Hallabong oranges in Andeok-myeon and entered Pyeonghwa-ro, he should have continued to use the main roads, but due to traffic congestion during the evening rush hour, the navigation system guided him to a detour, leading him onto Sanrok Road, a mountain road on Hallasan.”

A police official said, “To prevent accidents, we will install warning signs at the accident site and consider ways for navigation systems to guide cargo trucks to avoid certain routes in Jeju.”

Meanwhile, at around 6 p.m. on the 6th, a 4.5-ton cargo truck collided successively with a 1-ton truck and two buses ahead at the intersection near the entrance of Jeju National University in Ara 1-dong, Jeju City, resulting in 3 deaths and 59 people sustaining serious and minor injuries.