[2023 National Audit] 'Deaths on the Road', 150,000 Cases in 5 Years

Cats Rank 1st with 57,000 Cases

The number of 'roadkill' incidents over the past five years has exceeded 150,000.

According to data submitted by the National Institute of Ecology to Heo Young, a member of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 27th, the number of roadkill incidents in the past five years reached 154,566, and the number of roadkill hotspot sections increased from 50 sections in 2020 to 80 sections last year.

Heo Young, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Provided by Heo Young's office]

The number of roadkill incidents has steadily increased over the past five years. In 2018, there were 16,812 roadkill cases, which rose to 21,397 in 2019, then from 15,107 in 2020 to 37,261 in 2021, and surged to 63,989 last year.

By species, cats accounted for the highest number with 57,076 cases, followed by water deer (gorani) with 45,424 cases, raccoons with 8,790 cases, dogs with 5,532 cases, roe deer (noru) with 3,006 cases, badgers with 898 cases, and wild boars with 709 cases.

The number of roadkill hotspot sections also increased. In 2020, there were 50 sections, which rose to 80 sections last year, and the total length of these sections doubled from 138 km to 261 km. In particular, the highest accident rate per km, classified as Grade 1 among hotspot sections, increased from 11 km in 2020 to 87 km last year, indicating the need for effective reduction measures.

As a result of implementing reduction measures such as guide fences, warning signs, and section speed cameras on the top 50 roadkill hotspot sections selected in 2020, the reduction rate of roadkill incidents was 80.2%. Especially, guide fences reduced roadkill by 85.1%.

Assemblyman Heo stated, "Accurate statistics and reduction measures for roadkill are primarily necessary for the animals directly affected," and added, "Since roadkill significantly threatens road safety and secondary accidents could seriously impact the lives and safety of drivers and passengers, appropriate countermeasures need to be established."