Education Hours for Habitual Drunk Drivers to Increase Up to 3 Times Starting July

Program Enhancement to Reduce Recidivism Rate

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The National Police Agency and the Korea Road Traffic Authority announced on the 30th that, starting July 1, they will expand the mandatory education hours for drunk driving up to three times in accordance with the revised Road Traffic Act Enforcement Decree.

According to the police, the mandatory education for drunk driving, effective from July 1, will increase to 12 hours for first-time offenders within the past five years, 16 hours for second-time offenders, and 48 hours for third-time offenders, which is 2 to 3 times longer than before. The daily education hours will be limited to 4 hours, requiring first-time offenders to attend for 3 days, second-time offenders for 4 days, and third-time offenders for 12 days.

The police explained that, in line with the increased education and testing, various participatory programs such as alcohol diagnosis, guidance, small group discussions, psychological counseling, and virtual alcohol experience have been newly introduced. The education targets are those whose driver's licenses have been suspended or revoked due to drunk driving, and from July 1, all subjects must undergo the strengthened education without exception.

Previously, the police revised the Road Traffic Act Enforcement Decree to expand the current mandatory education hours to prevent repeat drunk driving offenses and improve drivers' awareness of the risks of drunk driving. Until now, drunk driving education hours were 6 hours for first-time offenders, 8 hours for second-time offenders, and 16 hours for third-time offenders within the past five years, after which they could take the driver's license test.

A National Police Agency official stated, "With the average recidivism rate for drunk driving at 44%, the expansion of mandatory drunk driving education will greatly contribute to reducing drunk driving and preventing traffic accidents," adding, "We will continue to do our best to prepare various policies to reduce drunk driving."