"Be Careful of Traffic Accidents and House Fires During Seol Holiday"

Avoid Using Mobile Phones While Driving
Do Not Leave Your Spot While Cooking Food

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] On the 17th, the government requested special attention to fire safety as the use of fire increases due to traffic accidents on the way to and from hometown visits and food preparation during the Seollal holiday.

During the Seollal holiday, public transportation usage increases and family travel becomes more frequent. Although the number of traffic accidents generally decreases, casualties actually increase.

According to big data analysis by the Korea Road Traffic Authority, the period with the highest number of traffic accidents before and after the Seollal holiday is the day before the holiday begins, with 748 cases, about 1.3 times more than the usual 589 cases (average daily over the past 5 years). The peak time was around 6 p.m.

Among traffic accidents occurring during the Seollal holiday, 55.3% (4,457 out of 8,064 cases) were due to failure to fulfill safety obligations under the Road Traffic Act, followed by violations such as running red lights at 13.1% and failure to maintain a safe distance at 9.3%. In particular, the proportion of traffic accidents and casualties caused by drunk driving during the holiday is higher than usual, so if you have consumed alcohol, be sure to drive only after you are sober.

Additionally, January, which includes this year's Seollal holiday, is the period when the most traffic accidents caused by icy roads (including thin ice) occur due to snow or frost freezing on the roads. Drivers should maintain proper distance between vehicles and drive safely.

During the Seollal holiday, the increased use of fire for food preparation raises the risk of residential fires. In the past five years, a total of 575 residential fires occurred during the Seollal holiday, resulting in 20 deaths and 50 injuries. The day with the highest number of residential fires was the day before Seollal, with 205 fires, and the times with the most fires were around 1 p.m., coinciding with mealtime, and around 8 p.m., the finishing time.

By cause, fires due to carelessness accounted for the largest portion at 56.0% (322 out of 575 cases), followed by electrical causes such as poor electrical contact at 20.3% (117 cases), and mechanical causes such as overheating at 7.1% (41 cases). In particular, among the careless fires, 62.1% were caused by leaving fire sources such as embers unattended (25.5%), carelessness during cooking (24.2%), or placing flammable materials near fire sources (12.4%).

Furthermore, with the recent dry weather continuing, even small sparks can spread quickly, so special caution is advised to prevent forest fires when visiting ancestral graves or going to the mountains.

The government stated, “Since the risk of traffic accidents and residential fires is higher than usual during the holiday, we ask the public to pay attention to prevention rules, refrain from using mobile phones while driving, and handle fire with special care to have a safe Seollal holiday.”