Criminal Penalties Imposed for Panspring Accidents... Strengthened Enforcement on Cargo Trucks

Strengthening Obligations and Sanctions through Legal Amendments

Truck leaf spring

To prevent illegal leaf spring (a cushioning device installed under vehicles) falling accidents involving cargo trucks, the safety obligations and penalties for drivers and business operators will be strengthened.

On the 7th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it will strengthen sanctions and penalties against cargo transport operators and drivers who violate safety obligations to prevent repeated leaf spring falling accidents involving cargo trucks.

This measure aims to prevent accidents caused by falling cargo securing devices such as leaf springs from cargo trucks in operation, amid growing public anxiety due to recent consecutive accidents.

The government plans to amend the "Cargo Truck Transportation Business Act" to impose the obligation of necessary measures to prevent the detachment of cargo securing devices on transport operators and drivers. Violations will allow business sanctions such as partial suspension of business for transport operators due to poor management of cargo drivers. Drivers will be restricted from engaging in cargo driving work for more than two years and may face criminal penalties if involved in accidents causing serious injuries or worse.

Panspring fallen on the road

Leaf springs, known as "weapons on the road," are cushioning devices installed under vehicles to absorb shocks from the road surface. However, some cargo trucks often wedge leaf springs beside the cargo bed as supports to prevent the cargo bed from opening sideways and spilling cargo. Accidents frequently occur where leaf springs falling from cargo trucks in motion fly into nearby vehicles.

Currently, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is intensively conducting on-site crackdowns (from July to the end of August) with the police, Korea Transportation Safety Authority, and local governments to prevent leaf spring falling accidents, monitoring the crackdown results weekly and planning to conduct surprise inspections if necessary.

During on-site crackdowns, illegal tuning of leaf springs will be the focus, and inspections will also cover modifications to cargo beds and covers, which pose significant accident risks.

Additionally, as an urgent measure before the legal amendment, the Ministry has requested city and provincial governors to promptly order transport operators to take necessary measures to prevent cargo securing devices from falling during operation. If a transport operator fails to comply with the improvement order from the city or provincial governor and operates a cargo truck, a fine of 3 million won will be imposed.

Meanwhile, regarding this amendment, the Ministry held a meeting with stakeholders from the cargo transport industry on the 5th to gather opinions and plans to reflect these in the legislative amendment process.