Human Rights Commission: "Vehicle Speed Limit of 30 km/h Should Be Enforced in Elderly Protection Zones"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The National Human Rights Commission has recommended related agencies improve relevant systems, such as limiting vehicle speeds within Elderly Protection Zones.

On the 26th, the Human Rights Commission announced that it expressed the opinion to the Speaker of the National Assembly that it is desirable to promptly review and legislate the partial amendment bill of the Road Traffic Act currently pending in the National Assembly. This bill mainly includes limiting the speed of vehicles within Elderly Protection Zones to within 30 km/h and installing unmanned traffic enforcement equipment in these zones. The Commission also recommended the Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency to inspect the designation and management status of Elderly Protection Zones, expand the designation of such zones, and prepare measures to strengthen safety within these zones.

According to the results of the government's "2021 Traffic Accident Fatality Reduction Measures" survey released by the Human Rights Commission on the same day, among the 1,093 people who died in traffic accidents while crossing the road in 2020, 628 were elderly aged 65 or older, accounting for 57.5%. Additionally, the number of traffic accident fatalities per 100,000 people aged 65 or older in Korea was 22.8, about three times higher than the OECD member countries' average of 7.9. The Commission emphasized, "As of June last year, there were 16,896 designated Child Protection Zones nationwide, but only 2,459 Elderly Protection Zones, which is not sufficient," and stressed that "system improvements are necessary to protect the human rights of the elderly from the risk of traffic accidents."