[Metro24] The Drunk Driving Tragedy That Begins with 'Complacency'

At around 2:20 p.m. on the 8th of last month, Bae Seung-ah (9) was hit by a drunk driving vehicle in a school zone in Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, and passed away.

This accident sparked social outrage, and calls for the punishment of the perpetrator and measures to prevent the recurrence of safety accidents spread nationwide beyond the local area.

Taking this as an opportunity, related organizations such as local governments across the country, regional police agencies, and education offices rushed to take action to prevent the recurrence of accidents.

It was also around this time that the Supreme Court Sentencing Commission deliberated and resolved sentencing guidelines allowing for a maximum prison sentence of 26 years when a child is killed by drunk driving in a school zone.

So, have drunk driving and drunk driving accidents decreased since then? No. This indicates that many individuals still have a complacent attitude toward drunk driving despite social outrage.

Even if not only because of Bae’s tragedy, the outrage that arose at that time certainly raised awareness of drunk driving nationwide beyond Daejeon.

However, there is a question as to whether these legal and institutional improvements and accident prevention measures by local governments can prevent all possible accidents occurring within school zones.

Supporting this, less than a month after Bae’s passing, the number of drunk driving detections actually increased across the country.

In Daejeon, 269 cases of drunk driving were caught during 189 day and night crackdowns last month. This is a 20% increase compared to last year (224 cases in April). The number of daytime crackdowns increased by 49%, from 41 cases last year to 61 cases.

In Chungnam, 10 drunk drivers were caught during daytime drunk driving crackdowns in school zones and other areas between 1 and 3 p.m. on the 14th of last month.

"I'm not in a good mood right now, so don't talk to me." The annoyed tone of a drunk driver caught during a daytime police crackdown in a certain area was captured intact by a broadcasting station’s camera.

Fundamentally, drunk driving and drunk driving accidents start from individuals’ complacency, which must not be overlooked.

Crackdowns and strengthening safety measures to prevent accidents are absolutely necessary.

However, to guarantee everyone’s safety on the road with at least minimal social safety measures, it is essential to abandon individual complacency such as “daytime drinking is okay,” “just one drink won’t hurt,” and “this level of crackdown is enough.”