Right Turns and Mandatory Full Stop at Crosswalks in School Zones Are Imminent... Yet Vehicles Still 'Ssing Ssing'

Mandatory Stop from the 12th
Vehicles Must Stop at Crosswalks When Pedestrians Intend to Cross
At Gangbuk-gu Office Intersection in Seoul, 4 out of 19 Vehicles Failed to Stop Behind the Stop Line
Speed Not Reduced at Crosswalks in School Zones

At around 7:52 a.m. on the 1st, drivers at the intersection near Gangbuk-gu Office in Seoul abruptly braked in front of pedestrians who were rushing across despite the pedestrian signal being on as they made right turns. Startled citizens turned their heads toward the vehicles and then headed to the subway station for their commute.
Photo by Oh Gyumin moh011@

At around 7:30 a.m. on the 1st, at the intersection in front of Gangbuk-gu Office in Seoul. The right turn from Suyu Intersection towards Gwangsan Intersection encounters two crosswalks. At the second crosswalk connected to the subway station, a nerve-wracking situation unfolds every morning during rush hour. Drivers, judging there are no pedestrians waiting, turn right even when the pedestrian signal is on, then suddenly brake in front of hurried pedestrians crossing. Citizens, startled, turn their heads toward the vehicles before heading back to the subway station to continue their commute.

According to the revised Road Traffic Act effective from the 12th, drivers must come to a complete stop at crosswalks until "pedestrians intend to cross." Previously, the rule only applied when "pedestrians were crossing the crosswalk," which raised concerns about the high risk of accidents. Professor Yoo Jeong-hoon of Ajou University’s Traffic Systems Engineering explained, "If the crosswalk light is green, all vehicles turning right must stop first, regardless of whether pedestrians are present or not."

However, some vehicles did not observe the stop line at the crosswalk with the pedestrian signal on. Between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. at the Gangbuk-gu Office intersection, out of 19 vehicles attempting to turn right, 15 moved after the pedestrian signal turned red, but 4 did not respect the stop line. Although they initially stopped before the crosswalk, they gradually moved forward, crossing the stop line. Motorcycles even weaved through pedestrians crossing the crosswalk as if performing stunts.

Vehicles Must Stop Unconditionally at Crosswalks in School Zones, but Many Do Not Slow Down

Around 8 a.m. on the 1st, vehicles did not stop at the stop line and maintained their speed while passing through the school zone in front of Gwanghui Elementary School in Seoul. During this process, some vehicles became entangled.
Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@

Pedestrian protection in school zones has also been strengthened. Even at crosswalks without traffic signals within school zones, drivers must come to a complete stop at the stop line regardless of pedestrian presence. However, observations near Gwanghee Elementary School in Jung-gu, Seoul, showed that no vehicles stopped at the stop line. Cars and motorcycles passed through without stopping, maintaining their speed. Instead, pedestrians waiting at the crosswalk had to wait for the vehicles to pass.

There were also dangerously risky scenes due to the absence of crosswalks and stop lines. In an alley in front of a daycare center near Gwanghee Elementary, which is a school zone, vehicles never stopped because there was no stop line. A near-collision occurred when a vehicle making a sudden right turn almost collided with another vehicle entering the alley.

Experts agree that once the pedestrian protection regulations take effect on the 12th, drivers will gradually adapt. Professor Park Mu-hyuk of the Korea Road Traffic Authority said, "This revision shows a paradigm shift from car-centered roads to pedestrian-centered roads," adding, "People’s awareness will change just like how wearing seat belts became mandatory."

However, concerns remain about temporary confusion and driver dissatisfaction. Professor Yoo pointed out, "Continuously holding drivers responsible will eventually lead to complaints," and emphasized, "Measures that consider road flow, such as not installing unnecessary traffic lights like in Europe, are also needed."