Korea Road Traffic Authority Releases Big Data on Drunk Driving Accidents: 25 Deaths and 2,527 Injuries in Past 5 Years
In the past five years (2019-2023), it was found that an average of about 42 drunk driving traffic accidents occurred nationwide every day.
According to an analysis of big data on traffic accidents over the past five years by the Korea Road Traffic Authority (President Kim Heejung), there were a total of 75,950 drunk driving traffic accidents, resulting in 1,161 deaths and 122,566 injuries. Drunk driving accidents accounted for 7.3% of all traffic accidents, with the highest number of incidents occurring in December.
In terms of time, most accidents occurred between 10 p.m. and midnight on Fridays and Thursdays, when gatherings and drinking parties are expected to be frequent.
By age group, while drivers in their 50s (aged 51-60) accounted for the highest proportion of all traffic accidents, drivers in their 30s (aged 31-40) accounted for the highest proportion of drunk driving accidents at 22.3%.
In the case of Jeju, there were a total of 1,606 drunk driving traffic accidents over the past five years, resulting in 25 deaths and 2,527 injuries. Due to its status as a tourist destination, drunk driving accidents were most frequent in July, during the vacation season, and most commonly occurred between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturdays.
By age group in Jeju, drivers in their 50s (aged 51-60) accounted for the highest proportion of all traffic accidents, but drivers in their 20s (aged 21-30) accounted for the highest proportion of drunk driving accidents at 23.3%.
Notably, in 2023, Jeju had the third highest proportion of drunk driving accidents among all regional traffic accidents nationwide at 7.7%, following Chungnam at 9.6% and Incheon at 8.9%.
Drinking alcohol impairs spatial perception and reaction speed, increasing the risk of rear-end collisions. In fact, while rear-end collisions accounted for 20.4% of all vehicle-to-vehicle traffic accidents, they accounted for 46.5% of drunk driving accidents, showing a significant increase.
The Jeju Police Agency has been conducting continuous and occasional intensive crackdowns on drunk driving in all regions, day and night, since November 20. In particular, enforcement against driving under the influence of hangovers is also being carried out. If you drank heavily the previous day, you should use public transportation or a substitute driver service the next morning.
Lee Minjung, head of the Jeju Regional Headquarters of the Korea Road Traffic Authority, emphasized, "Drunk driving is a criminal act that must be eradicated as it destroys not only your own but also others' precious lives and families," and stressed, "Regardless of crackdowns, if you have had even a single drink, never get behind the wheel."
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