44,000 Emergency Dispatches Per Day During Holidays... Battery and Tire Checks Are a 'Must'
An Average of Around 43,000 Dispatches During Lunar New Year and Chuseok
Sharp Increase in Drunk and Unlicensed Driving on the Day Before Holidays
It has been tallied that during last year's Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, emergency dispatches by insurance companies due to vehicle breakdowns and accidents reached an average of 44,000 cases per day.
Quoting data submitted by the General Insurance Association of Korea to Assemblywoman Kim Heejeong, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, Yonhap News reported that the average daily number of emergency dispatches during last year's Lunar New Year holiday (January 25 to 30) was 43,972 cases, and during the Chuseok holiday (October 3 to 9) it was 43,944 cases.
During the Lunar New Year holiday, the reasons for dispatch were overwhelmingly breakdowns, with 39,830 breakdowns and 4,142 accidents. By type of breakdown, there were 22,995 cases of battery discharge and 6,296 cases of tire problems, in that order. During Chuseok as well, the pattern was similar, with 39,286 breakdowns and 4,658 accidents. Tire-related breakdowns totaled 10,393 cases, higher than during the Lunar New Year. Korea Expressway Corporation's free towing service on expressways was dispatched 418 times during Lunar New Year and 641 times during Chuseok.
On the 13th, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, vehicle traffic on the Gyeongbu Expressway near Jamwon IC in Seocho District, Seoul, is congested. Yonhap News
View original imageAssemblywoman Kim said, "To ensure safety on the way to visit family, I urge drivers to thoroughly carry out basic vehicle inspections such as checking the battery, tires, and coolant before departure," adding, "Even a minor car breakdown can lead to a sudden deceleration or stop, which poses a risk of secondary rear-end collisions."
Meanwhile, on February 9, the Financial Supervisory Service announced that the average daily number of accidents on the day before the holiday increases to 13,233 cases, up 23.1% from normal times. On the same day, the number of people with minor and serious injuries also rose by 33.3% and 34.0%, respectively.
The Financial Supervisory Service recommended using insurers' "free vehicle inspection services" and checking tire pressure to prepare for black ice. It also advised drivers to check whether their insurance limits the range of drivers when taking turns driving long distances, and, if necessary, to sign up for a short-term rider that expands the scope of covered drivers.
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In addition, it emphasized that drunk driving and driving without a license entail disadvantages such as criminal punishment, higher insurance premiums, and accident surcharges. It is known that on the day before the day when people begin their full-scale trips to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year holiday, drunk driving accidents increase by 24.1% compared with normal times, and driving without a license increases by 50.0% and 40.9% on the day before that and on the day before the Lunar New Year holiday itself, respectively, compared with normal times.
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