One out of every four cars, even if there's a pedestrian crossing, it won't stop

At the intersection in front of the Cresendo Building in Saemoonan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, around 3 p.m. on the 12th, a pedestrian ran from the sidewalk toward the crosswalk, and a car running in the same direction turned right without stopping. After the pedestrian entered the crosswalk, the driver suddenly slowed down and made a 'squeak' sound. It was a close call for an accident.

The police began a full-fledged crackdown on the day after a three-month guidance period regarding the temporary suspension in front of the crosswalk when turning right at the intersection. Under Article 27 (1) of the revised Road Traffic Act, which strengthens the obligation to protect pedestrians, vehicle drivers must pause not only when there are pedestrians who "cross" the crosswalk but also when there are pedestrians who "cross." If caught for failing to comply with this, a fine of 60,000 won (based on the car) and 10 penalty points will be imposed.

At the intersection of Dosan Park in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 91 vehicles turned right from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and were crossing the crosswalk or encountered a pedestrian trying to cross. However, 35 (38.5%) passed without a pause. In order to cross the crosswalk, a van dangerously passed in front of the approaching female pedestrian.

At Cheonho Intersection in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, three (10%) of the 30 vehicles that had to be temporarily stopped passed the crosswalk without stopping. This intersection is where six right-turn traffic accidents have occurred in the past three years. At the intersection of Saemoonan-ro, 13 out of 87 cars (14.9%) and 8 out of 31 cars (25.8%) at the Seoul Customs Intersection in Gangnam-gu did not comply with the obligation to temporarily suspend when turning right.

Among the vehicles in violation, there were many cases where pedestrians turned right without stopping and passed through the crosswalk even though they were crossing the crosswalk. At the intersection of Dosan Park, a car was also seen passing quickly between pedestrians crossing the crosswalk with a blue light. A police official said, "Even if the pedestrian signal is red, if there is a pedestrian on the crosswalk, the driver should stop for now."

Date: 2022-10-13

Reporter: 정새울