Fatality Rate 1.5 Times Higher in Accidents on Icy Roads... "Drive Safely, Such as Slow Driving" Urged

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] An analysis revealed that the fatality rate of traffic accidents occurring on icy roads is about 1.5 times higher than that of overall traffic accidents.

According to the Korea Road Traffic Authority on the 8th, the number of deaths per 100 icy road traffic accidents (fatality rate) from 2017 to 2021 was about 2.5, which is approximately 1.5 times higher compared to the overall traffic accident fatality rate of about 1.6. By road type, the fatality rate of icy road traffic accidents on expressways was 16.1, three times higher than the overall expressway traffic accident fatality rate of 5.2. By time of day, 38% of all icy road accidents were concentrated between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Among these, the fatality rate was highest at 6.5 during the 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. period.

There are 62 locations nationwide where icy road traffic accidents frequently occur, including 18 bridges and overpasses and 8 tunnels and underpasses. These roads are relatively vulnerable to icing. The Authority discloses information on these 62 locations through the Traffic Accident Analysis System, Public Data Portal, and major private navigation services. Ko Young-woo, head of the Traffic AI Big Data Convergence Center at the Authority, urged, "Since icy road traffic accidents have a high fatality rate and cause significant damage, it is necessary to pay more attention to safe driving, such as driving slowly depending on road surface conditions."