Every month, 10,000 people drink and drive... Repeat offenders and tricks like "sultagi" run rampant

Over 70,000 DUI Cases Detected Until July
Legislation Proposed to Punish Driver Swapping and Drink Sharing
Mandatory 'DUI Prevention Device' for Repeat Offenders' Vehicles

#On the 7th of last month in Cheonan-si, Chungnam, a driver in his 20s refused a police breathalyzer test and fled, resulting in an accident where a sanitation worker was hit and killed. At the time, police responded to a report stating, "There is a vehicle not moving despite the traffic light changing at the intersection." When officers knocked on the vehicle's window, the driver hastily drove off. He drove for over 1 km before hitting and killing a sanitation worker in his 30s, then abandoned the car and fled. He was later arrested on the spot and brought to trial but denies the charges.

#On June 24th in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, a driver in his 40s dragged a police officer who asked about his drinking status on the vehicle and fled about 30 meters. He abandoned the vehicle and ran away but was caught after police pursuit. The driver claimed, "I bought and drank alcohol at a convenience store after fleeing," denying drunk driving, but after final investigation, the charges were proven and he was sent to prosecution.

On June 24th, a driver in his 40s in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, fled while hanging onto a police officer who was asking about alcohol consumption. [Photo by Seoul Police YouTube]

Incidents and accidents caused by drunk driving continue to occur without pause. The number of deaths from drunk driving traffic accidents was about one every two days last year, showing severe damage. There is particular concern that such incidents will increase ahead of the Chuseok holiday period. A police official stated, "Various accidents caused by drunk driving continue, and it is expected to increase during the Chuseok period," adding, "Especially since drunk driving accidents frequently occur on the day before and the first day of the holiday, we plan to conduct crackdowns."

According to the National Police Agency, from January to July this year, the number of drunk driving detections reached 70,141 cases. Since March, more than 10,000 cases have been detected monthly, so the total number of drunk driving cases this year is expected to be similar to or exceed last year's total of 131,150 cases.

Recently, there has been an increase in cunning methods such as swapping drivers after drunk driving, as in the case of trot singer Kim Ho-jung, or fleeing to avoid breathalyzer tests and then drinking more alcohol to make testing difficult, known as the 'mixing alcohol method.' In July, an incident occurred in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, where a driver in a drunken state collided with two vehicles and then swapped places with a passenger inside the vehicle to evade a drunk driving crackdown.

As methods to 'avoid drunk driving crackdowns' spread like a trend, a legislative amendment to prevent this has also been proposed in the National Assembly. The amendment to the Road Traffic Act, led by Park Seong-hoon of the People Power Party, includes provisions to punish fleeing to avoid breathalyzer tests and to add this as a reason for license cancellation or suspension. It also stipulates that those who drink additional alcohol to deceive breathalyzer tests shall be punished by imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to 20 million won.

In cases of drunk driving, there are a significant number of habitual offenders with two or more offenses rather than one-time incidents. In fact, last year, the number of cases detected for two or more drunk driving offenses was 55,007, accounting for 42.3% of the total. Among these, there were also 1,070 cases detected seven or more times.

Accordingly, from the 25th of next month, it will be mandatory to install 'drunk driving prevention devices' in vehicles of repeat drunk drivers. The installation target includes those detected for drunk driving two or more times within five years, and this will be implemented following the amendment to the Road Traffic Act in October last year. The drunk driving prevention device is a device that tests the driver's breath for alcohol before starting the engine and only allows the engine to start if no alcohol is detected.

Experts emphasize the need for preventive measures alongside strengthening punishments for drunk driving. Professor Lee Woong-hyuk of Konkuk University's Department of Police Science said, "It is necessary to aggressively improve enforcement methods, such as undercover surveillance and pursuit, so that people think 'drunk driving will definitely be caught,'" adding, "Wrong cunning methods have been learned through cases like Kim Ho-jung's, so legislative blind spots must be supplemented and awareness instilled that severe punishment will follow."

Professor Yoo Jeong-hoon of Ajou University's Department of Traffic Systems Engineering also explained, "Drinking is a type of habitual addiction similar to drugs, so simply strengthening punishment has limits, and it is important to prevent it in advance," adding, "If the effectiveness of the drunk driving prevention device, which will be implemented from next month, is confirmed, measures such as full introduction for all drivers should be considered."