Highway Safety Protected by Citizens... Launch of the 2nd ex-Citizen Safety Participation Group

250 Citizens Nationwide Begin Highway Safety Inspections
Up to 100,000 Won Monthly Allowance and Awards for Outstanding Participants

Citizen-participation safety inspection activities aimed at preventing major public disasters on highways are being expanded nationwide.

The activity period runs from April 28 to December 19, operating by directly identifying and reporting risk factors at highway sites.

On April 29, Korea Expressway Corporation announced that it held the appointment ceremony for the "2nd ex-Citizen Safety Participation Group" (hereinafter referred to as the Participation Group) and officially began citizen-participation inspections of key highway facilities.

The Participation Group is responsible for directly inspecting high-risk facilities on highways, such as bridges, tunnels, cut slopes, retaining walls, gas stations, and LPG filling stations, and for proposing improvement ideas. Major public disasters refer to serious accidents that can occur at public facilities or transportation means used by citizens.

This year, the Participation Group consists of 250 members, with 50 people selected from each of the five regions nationwide: the Seoul metropolitan area, Gangwon-Chungcheong, Honam, Yeongnam, and Jeju. The activity period runs from April 28 to December 19, operating by directly identifying and reporting risk factors at highway sites.

Members of the Participation Group receive an activity allowance of up to 100,000 won per month. At the end of the year, 12 outstanding participants will be selected and awarded a total of 3.8 million won in prizes. The awards consist of a grand prize (1 million won for 1 person), excellence awards (500,000 won for 2 people), merit awards (300,000 won for 3 people), and encouragement awards (150,000 won for 6 people).

Previously, Korea Expressway Corporation conducted a pilot operation of the 1st Participation Group in the Seoul metropolitan area last year, identifying and improving a total of 186 risk factors. Based on these results, the activity areas and number of participants have been significantly expanded this year.

Park Geontae, Vice President of Technology at Korea Expressway Corporation, stated, "This activity, which examines highway risk factors from the public's perspective, will serve as an opportunity to further enhance safety levels. We will continue to strengthen safety systems in cooperation with the public going forward."