Hwang Hee: "Average of 426 Traffic Accidents and 6.7 Deaths Per Day During Chuseok Holidays Over Past 5 Years"

28% of Fatalities Occur During Early Morning Hours

Over the past five years, there have been more than 400 traffic accidents per day on average during the Chuseok holiday period. In particular, while less than 10% of the accidents occurred between midnight and 6 a.m., 28% of fatalities were concentrated during these early morning hours. As the Chuseok holiday approaches, experts warn that special caution is needed when driving at dawn.

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According to data analyzed by Assemblyman Hwang Hee of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, which was submitted on September 21 by the Korea Road Traffic Authority, there were a total of 11,510 traffic accidents during the Chuseok holiday period between 2021 and last year. Among these, 181 people lost their lives and 18,903 were injured. On average, there were 426 accidents per day, resulting in 6.7 fatalities daily.

Among these, 1,125 accidents (9.8%) occurred between midnight and 6 a.m. However, deaths during these hours totaled 50 (27.6%), a significantly higher proportion compared to the accident rate. The fatality rate per 100 accidents in these early hours was 4.4, about 3.5 times higher than during other times of the day (1.3).

Notably, between 4 and 6 a.m., there were only 276 accidents—the lowest among the 12 time slots—but 16 deaths were recorded, resulting in the highest fatality rate of 5.8.

Repeated accident hotspots during the Chuseok holiday were also identified. Over the past five years, 16 accidents occurred within a 200-meter radius near Kunae four-way intersection in Seo-gu, Daejeon, the highest in the country. Of the 178 accidents at the top 20 high-risk locations, 104 (58.4%) involved vehicle-to-vehicle collisions, while failure to comply with safe driving obligations was the leading cause with 108 cases (60.7%).

Assemblyman Hwang stated, "Since drowsy driving and speeding become more prevalent during the early morning hours, administrative enforcement alone has limitations in preventing loss of life. Sufficient rest for drivers and active participation in safe driving are essential." He added, "The government and road management agencies should improve accessibility to rest areas during the early morning hours and implement effective preventive measures by utilizing variable message signs and warning signals."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.