Police Agency Announces Road Traffic Safety Promotion Strategy in Preparation for Full Autonomous Driving Commercialization

On the 13th, the National Police Agency announced the "Road Traffic Safety Promotion Strategy in Preparation for the Era of Fully Autonomous Driving" through the Emergency Economic Ministers' Meeting.

This "Road Traffic Safety Promotion Strategy in Preparation for the Era of Fully Autonomous Driving" was established to present the mid- to long-term direction of road traffic policies related to autonomous driving by integrating previous related measures such as the comprehensive police measures for the commercialization of autonomous vehicles and the Autonomous Vehicle Regulatory Innovation Roadmap 2.0.

The National Police Agency divides the commercialization period of autonomous driving into three stages through this promotion strategy and systematically promotes a total of 28 tasks required for each stage, categorized into three areas: ▲evaluation and verification system ▲operation safety management ▲infrastructure establishment.

First, to establish an evaluation and verification system, the agency plans to define the responsible party for the safe operation and management of driverless autonomous vehicles and cooperate to ensure that autonomous vehicles' compliance with road traffic laws is verified.

Additionally, the agency will establish administrative and criminal responsibilities for traffic law violations during autonomous driving and prepare control measures for autonomous vehicles in emergencies such as natural disasters and unexpected situations, promoting comprehensive safety management policies for operation. They also plan to create a foundation for safe autonomous vehicle operation by building a nationwide real-time signal information collection and provision system in cooperation with local governments.

The National Police Agency expects that the announcement of this promotion strategy will serve as a catalyst for securing public trust in autonomous driving traffic safety and advancing Korea as a leading country in autonomous driving. Subsequently, they will actively implement tasks through legislation related to autonomous vehicle operation, expansion of research and development projects, and cooperation with academia, industry, research institutes, and relevant government departments.

Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, stated, “For the autonomous driving new industry to grow, public trust in safety is paramount alongside technological development,” adding, “The National Police Agency will strive to ensure that autonomous vehicles can safely travel on roads and will do its best to secure the safe development of the autonomous vehicle industry and future scientific policing.”