The number of road accident fatalities in Korea has more than doubled from 5,608 in 1980 to 13,429 in 1991. The major reasons for this increase were the rapid increase of the number of motor vehicles, monetary compensation for loss of life, the wrong road accident management system, and the absence of an effective government road safety policy. However, the number of road accident fatalities reduced by half from 13,429 in 1991 to 6,563 in 2004. The major reasons for this reduction were the strong seat belt wearing campaign, the nationwide installation of speed enforcement cameras, the widespread use of median barriers on the national roads, the national road accident reduction goal, and the strong road safety policies of the government. This paper analyzes the characteristics of road accidents and the reasons behind the failures and successes of road safety policies in Korea. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E214938.
Samenvatting