Fixed-Gear Bicycles Designed for Indoor Use Gain Popularity Among Elementary Students
Difficulty Controlling Speed Leads to Fatal Accidents
"Law Needed to Restrict Fixed-Gear Bicycle Use on Public Roads"
Recently, there has been a growing discussion on institutional reform after a middle school student in Seoul died in an accident while riding a fixed-gear bicycle without brakes and collided with an air conditioner outdoor unit.
Fixed-Gear Bicycles Without Brakes... Even Professional Cyclists Say "It's Dangerous"
On August 12, a middle school student died in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, after failing to slow down while riding a fixed-gear bicycle downhill on a side street and crashing into an air conditioner outdoor unit.
Fixed-gear bicycles use only one gear and lack both a transmission and brakes. Because they are not equipped with braking systems, their stopping distance is several times longer than that of regular bicycles. Originally designed for athletes, these bicycles have recently gained popularity among middle and high school students, and even upper elementary school students, due to the spread of trick videos on social media.
The problem is that fixed-gear bicycles are intended for indoor use, making them dangerous on regular roads. On August 19, professional cyclist Kim Kihun said on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show," "Fixed-gear bicycles are tied with a fixed gear, so they can reach speeds of over 80 km/h. If you are going downhill or accelerating rapidly, even professional cyclists cannot control the bike just by grabbing the brakes."
However, there is currently no legal basis to regulate bicycles without braking systems. Under current law, only bicycles equipped with brakes are recognized as bicycles and are subject to the Road Traffic Act's safe driving obligations. Fixed-gear bicycles are not legally recognized as bicycles, leaving them in a regulatory blind spot.
In fact, traffic accidents involving minors and bicycles are on the rise. According to the police, minors accounted for 26.2% (1,461 cases) of the total 5,571 bicycle traffic accidents last year, up from 18.3% in 2023 and 19.4% in 2022.
National Assembly Pushes for Law to Restrict Fixed-Gear Bicycle Use... Police Also Step Up Crackdown
In response, a bill to restrict fixed-gear bicycles is being promoted. On August 20, Ko Dongjin, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the People Power Party, sponsored an amendment to the Road Traffic Act to restrict the operation of fixed-gear bicycles. The bill stipulates that bicycles without braking systems, even if they have the appearance and structure of a bicycle, will be prohibited from being used on side streets, bicycle paths, sidewalks, and other roads under the Road Traffic Act. Violators will be subject to fines of up to 200,000 won.
The police also plan to strengthen enforcement against fixed-gear bicycles, treating them as vehicles after a legal review. On August 17, the National Police Agency announced, "We will guide and crack down on fixed-gear bicycle road operation as a violation of the safe driving obligation," and stated that the current Road Traffic Act will be actively applied.
In particular, for children and adolescents under 18, parents will be notified and given a warning if their child is caught. If guardians fail to take appropriate measures after repeated warnings, they may also be punished for neglect under the Child Welfare Act.
Assemblyman Ko Dongjin said, "If fixed-gear bicycles, which are designed for indoor use, are ridden outdoors, it can be extremely dangerous not only for the rider but also for pedestrians. It is urgent to establish a legal framework that can strictly restrict the use of fixed-gear bicycles on public roads."
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