10% Increase in Drunk Driving During Chuseok Holiday... Police Implement Special Traffic Management Measures

The National Police Agency announced on the 19th that it will implement special traffic management measures to ensure safe travel during the Chuseok holiday period.

According to the National Police Agency, among a total of 10,380 traffic accidents that occurred during the Chuseok holidays over the past five years from 2018 to last year, 1,114 accidents, or 10.7%, were caused by drunk driving. This figure far exceeds the 7.8% (81,175 cases) proportion of drunk driving accidents among 1,045,988 traffic accidents during non-Chuseok periods in the same timeframe.

Not only drunk driving accidents but also highway traffic accidents tend to increase during the Chuseok holiday compared to usual. Highway traffic accidents during the Chuseok holiday accounted for 309 cases, representing 3.0% of all traffic accidents. The proportion of highway traffic accidents during non-Chuseok periods is 2.1% of the total.

Accordingly, to prevent drunk driving accidents during this Chuseok holiday, the police will conduct mobile crackdowns mainly at vulnerable locations such as highway rest areas. Continuous crackdowns considering regional characteristics will also be carried out simultaneously. On highways, enforcement will utilize 43 unmarked patrol cars and 12 helicopters, and patrols will be strengthened by selecting 30 sections with frequent highway traffic accidents.

Starting this week, the police have been deploying officers near places expected to gather people during the holiday, such as traditional markets and public cemeteries, to manage traffic. From the day before the Chuseok holiday, the 27th, until the 3rd of next month, the National Police Agency and metropolitan and provincial police agencies will operate traffic control rooms to focus on managing traffic for outbound and return trips.