Signal Violations, Lane Intrusions... Nearly 8,000 Annual Casualties from City Bus 'Reckless Driving'

5,662 Bus Accidents Last Year, 10% Increase from Previous Year
'Failure to Drive Safely' Most Common Cause
"Need to Strengthen Bus Driver Training and Enforcement"

At around 2:30 p.m. on the 17th, horns blared repeatedly at Hoehyeon Intersection in Jung-gu, Seoul. A city bus departing from the 'Toegye-ro 2-ga · Myeongdong Station Exit 5' bus stop attempted a sudden lane change by crossing a solid line and a white striped safety zone to make a right turn while driving in the straight lane. On this one-way four-lane road, you must turn right to head toward Seoul City Hall. However, since there is only one right-turn lane, it is notorious for traffic congestion. Even at this time, cars waiting to turn right toward Seoul City Hall and Sungnyemun were lined up for nearly 100 meters. However, among the five buses that passed through here in 30 minutes, only one waited in line from the bus stop to make the right turn. Three buses changed lanes into the right-turn lane despite the solid line while driving in the straight lane, and one bus made a lane change at the very end while driving in the straight lane.

On the 17th, buses and pedestrians were entangled in front of Exit 2 of Hongdaeipgu Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Among the five buses that passed the crosswalk within 30 minutes, four made a right turn despite pedestrians crossing.
/Photo by Tae-won Choi skking@

Dangerous bus driving continued near Hongdae Entrance Station in Mapo-gu as well. Among five buses that passed the crosswalk in front of Hongdae Entrance Station Exit 2 from 4 p.m. for 30 minutes that day, four made right turns crossing pedestrians on the crosswalk. Since July last year, vehicles entering the crosswalk to make a right turn must stop temporarily first, even if there are no pedestrians. Citizens were startled by buses invading the crosswalk, stopping in their tracks or dodging between buses. Kim (61, female), a passerby, said, "I run a cafe nearby, and this happens all the time," adding, "It wouldn't be surprising if an accident happened anytime."

Reckless driving by bus drivers is threatening the safety of citizens' passage. Every year, about 5,000 bus traffic accidents occur, resulting in over 7,000 casualties, and a significant number of these accidents are caused by improper bus driving, urgently requiring strengthened safety obligations.

According to the Traffic Accident Analysis System (TAAS) of the Korea Road Traffic Authority on the 18th, traffic accidents caused by route bus drivers nationwide exceed 5,000 annually. The number slightly decreased from 5,518 in 2020 to 5,116 in 2021 but increased by 10% to 5,662 last year. Casualties numbered 7,884, 7,104, and 7,929 respectively. The most common type of violation was failure to drive safely (9,604 cases), followed by failure to maintain a safe distance (1,556 cases) and signal violations (1,270 cases). A police official explained, "Bus accidents in urban areas often occur due to failure to drive safely, such as reckless lane changes causing collisions with adjacent vehicles."

On the 17th, a bus traveling in the straight lane near Hoehyeon Intersection in Jung-gu, Seoul, is changing lanes from a solid line lane. Photo by Taewon Choi skking@

Bus accidents continue this year as well. At around 10:10 p.m. on the 11th, a city bus making a right turn at the intersection near Suseong-gu Citizens' Sports Complex Station in Suseong-gu, Daegu, hit a pedestrian crossing the crosswalk. Although the pedestrian signal was green at the time, the bus did not stop temporarily and made the right turn, causing the accident. On the 17th of last month, a city bus hit a motorcycle at an intersection in front of an apartment complex in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, killing the rider. The bus driver ran a red light and collided with the left side of the motorcycle, which was traveling with the normal signal.

Experts suggest strengthening safety education and evaluation standards for bus drivers and imposing penalties if education is insufficient. Professor Choi Jae-won of the Korea Road Traffic Authority said, "City buses are mainly operated under a semi-public system. Since they receive government support, they should pay more attention to safety," adding, "Safety-related tests and interviews should be strengthened from the hiring stage of bus drivers, and safety education for existing bus drivers should be expanded." He further added, "It is worth considering introducing a system that applies penalties to bus drivers who cause accidents or neglect safety education." Professor Ko Jun-ho of Hanyang University's Department of Urban Engineering said, "Bus company incentives are usually determined by passenger service evaluations, but the proportion of safety-related items in the evaluation should be increased," adding, "Strengthening enforcement in congested areas and improving signal systems will also help reduce bus accidents."