Drunk Driving Crackdown on Highways... 14 Caught in One Night

Simultaneous Crackdown Conducted at 39 Major Toll Gates Nationwide
14 Cases of Drunk Driving, 4 Cases of Unlicensed Driving, 1 Case of Illegal Stay

During a large-scale drunk driving crackdown conducted by the police at major toll booths nationwide, more than 10 cases of drunk driving were caught in a single night.

On the 18th, the National Police Agency announced that during a crackdown at 39 major toll booths across the country to reduce traffic accidents on national highways, 14 drunk drivers were caught along with enforcement against vehicles with high fines and habitual overdue payments.

Among them, 8 people had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.03% or higher, which corresponds to license suspension, and 6 people had a BAC of 0.08% or higher, which corresponds to license cancellation. Additionally, 4 unlicensed drivers and 1 illegal immigrant were also caught.

On the afternoon of the 28th, police conducted a comprehensive crackdown on drunk driving at the Seoul Tollgate on the Gyeongbu Expressway in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
[Photo by National Police Agency]

The National Police Agency conducted a simultaneous drunk driving crackdown at 39 major toll booths on national highways, including the Seoul toll booth on the Gyeongbu Expressway, to proactively suppress awareness of drunk driving before an increase in alcohol-related accidents.

At the crackdown site, vehicles equipped with an Automatic Vehicle Number Identification system (AVNI) were used to enforce penalties on vehicles with overdue fines for traffic violations, local taxes, and other taxes.

According to the National Police Agency, while the number of fatal drunk driving accidents on highways decreased significantly from 26 in 2019 to 5 in 2023, the number of drunk driving accidents showed little change, increasing slightly from 339 to 396. In particular, the frequency of accidents rises from April to May, when the weather warms up, through the end of the year, and is higher from Thursday to Sunday by day of the week.

A National Police Agency official stated, “Drivers must keep in mind that drunk driving is absolutely unacceptable for their own safety and the safety of passing vehicles,” and added, “As enforcement against overdue vehicles will continue, we hope this serves as an opportunity to improve awareness that fines and taxes must be paid within the notification period.”