"Turn Signal Crackdown from October?" Fines Have Actually Been Imposed for 53 Years

Penalties in Place Since 1973
About 1.5 Million Reports of Failure to Signal Over the Past Three Years
Signal at Least 30 Meters Before Turning or Changing Lanes
Police Move to Introduce 10 Demerit Points

The fact that drivers can be fined for failing to use their turn signals has recently drawn renewed attention online. This follows a police crackdown on drivers who fail to use their turn signals that began this month. Some people have taken this to mean that new traffic rules took effect in October, but the regulation has actually been in place for more than 50 years.

The fact that drivers can be fined for failing to use their turn signals while turning has recently come back into the spotlight online. This follows the police launching a focused crackdown this month on drivers who fail to signal.

Yoon Dongju, doso7@

On October 13, Yonhap News Agency conducted a fact check on turn signals. The police have been conducting a crackdown from this month through December on drivers who turn or change lanes without using their turn signals. As a result, claims that “drivers will be fined for failing to use their turn signals from October” have recently been spreading on YouTube and online communities.

However, this does not mean that a new penalty has been introduced. The requirement for drivers to signal when changing direction or lane has been in place since the Road Traffic Act was enacted in 1961. Fines for failing to use turn signals have been imposed since 1973. Currently, if police catch a passenger car driver failing to use a turn signal during an on-site enforcement check, the driver is fined KRW 30,000. The fine for a motorcycle is KRW 20,000. If a violation is confirmed through a public-interest report using dashcam footage or other evidence, the passenger car driver may be subject to an administrative fine of KRW 40,000.

However, the “10 demerit points” claim that is also spreading online has not yet taken effect. The police are pursuing a system that would impose 10 demerit points on drivers who fail to use their turn signals, and the related legislative notice process has been completed. The system is expected to take effect as early as mid-2027.

Turn signals required even in left-turn-only lanes... On expressways, signal at least 100 meters in advance

Turn signals are not merely a matter of driving etiquette; their use is required under the Road Traffic Act. Under Article 38 of the Act and the relevant Enforcement Decree, drivers must activate their turn signals at least 30 meters before the point where they begin to turn left or right, make a U-turn, change lanes, or perform similar maneuvers.

Turn signals are not merely a matter of driving etiquette; they are a legal requirement under the Road Traffic Act. Under Article 38 of the Act and its related enforcement decree, drivers must activate their turn signals at least 30 meters before beginning a left or right turn, making a U-turn, changing lanes, or taking similar action.

Reporter Kang Jinhyeong aymsdream@

On expressways, drivers must signal at least 100 meters in advance. Turn signals must remain on until the turn or lane change is complete. One point that often confuses drivers is whether they must use their turn signals in lanes designated exclusively for left or right turns. Even if drivers have already entered a left-turn-only lane, they must still use their turn signals when making the actual turn. The Road Traffic Act contains no exception exempting drivers from using turn signals while traveling in a dedicated lane or waiting for a signal.

The National Police Agency also maintains that drivers must activate their turn signals at the prescribed point and keep them on until the turn is complete. At a roundabout, drivers should use their left turn signal when entering and their right turn signal when exiting. In other words, drivers must not skip using their turn signals just because there are no nearby vehicles or because they are traveling in a lane with a predetermined direction of travel.

One in four vehicles fails to signal when turning left; 1.5 million reports over three years

Although the requirement to use turn signals has been in place for many years, compliance has been found to be lower than for other major traffic safety rules. The Korea Transportation Safety Authority found that the compliance rate for using turn signals when turning left at intersections was 75.7% in 2025. This means that about one in four vehicles turning left did not use a turn signal.

A banner concerning the revised Road Traffic Act, which strengthened drivers' duty to protect pedestrians, including by requiring them to stop temporarily before crosswalks, is displayed at Ewha Intersection in Seoul on the 12th, the law's first day in effect. The Asia Business Daily.

This was lower than the compliance rate for obeying traffic signals, at 96.7%; the seat belt use rate, at 85.4%; and the compliance rate for stopping at crosswalk stop lines, at 82.3%, all recorded in the same survey. Turn signal compliance rose from 72.7% in 2021 to 76.0% in 2023, but edged down afterward, remaining in the 75% range in 2024 and 2025. Public-interest reports about violations have also continued to come in.

According to the National Police Agency, a total of 1,497,280 public-interest reports of drivers failing to use turn signals were received over the three years from 2023 to 2025. This was the second-highest total, following the 2,512,362 reports of “violations of traffic signals or directions” received over the same period. The number of fines imposed following on-site enforcement was also substantial. Over the past three years, 104,131 fines were imposed for failure to use turn signals, with the total amount paid reaching approximately KRW 2.92087 billion.

The police also cited difficulties with on-site enforcement. They said enforcement is limited because clearly determining whether a driver violated the turn signal rule requires checking both the vehicle’s direction of travel and whether its signal was activated. By contrast, public-interest reports using dashcam footage can show the violation on video and help supplement enforcement.

"No cars nearby" or "too much trouble": Why drivers don't use turn signals

The main reason drivers do not use turn signals appears to be that they do not see the need to do so. In a 2019 survey of 600 adult drivers conducted by the Korea Road Traffic Authority, the most common reason for not using turn signals was “there are no other vehicles nearby, or they are far away,” cited by 40.0% of respondents. This was followed by “I think it is unnecessary because I am following traffic signals or a designated lane,” at 24.3%, and “it is too much trouble,” at 15.1%. However, turn signals communicate a vehicle’s direction of travel not only to other vehicles, but also to motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians.

In particular, suddenly changing lanes without using a turn signal can cause other drivers to brake sharply or make sudden steering maneuvers. This can lead not only to traffic accidents but also to conflicts between drivers. In fact, among the 12,749 reports of retaliatory driving recorded by the National Police Agency from 2023 to 2025, 1,752 cases were classified as having been caused by “cutting in.” This was the largest share among the cases for which a specific cause was identified.

Research has also shown a link between turn signal use and traffic safety. The Korea Road Traffic Authority’s 2019 report, “The Relationship Between the Use of Communication Methods While Driving and Traffic Safety,” cited studies that found a tendency for accident risk to decrease as turn signal use increased. One of these studies found an association between a 1% increase in turn signal use and a 0.53% decrease in traffic accident density.

Police pursue 10-point penalty; driving habits matter more than enforcement

The police are considering measures to strengthen enforcement against drivers who fail to use their turn signals and make penalties more effective. The measure currently being pursued would impose 10 demerit points on drivers who fail to use their turn signals. The aim is to improve drivers’ compliance with traffic rules by adding demerit points to the existing financial penalties.

Police are considering measures to step up enforcement against drivers who fail to use their turn signals and make penalties more effective. One proposal currently under consideration is to assign 10 demerit points to drivers who fail to use their turn signals. The Asia Business Daily

However, the relevant laws and implementation procedures must be finalized before the system can take effect. It is therefore incorrect to believe that 10 demerit points are currently being imposed. Experts emphasize that changing drivers’ attitudes is important alongside stronger enforcement. Because turn signal violations are difficult to monitor continuously with fixed enforcement devices, unlike speeding or running a red light, drivers need to make signaling a habit themselves.

In fact, after the Korea Road Traffic Authority conducted intensive education and outreach on how to use roundabouts in 2017 and 2018, a comparison of traffic at the same location showed that turn signal use increased by 11.6 percentage points.

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