By I’ll believe it when I see it:
Prime Minister Han Seung-soo said Thursday that the government has included traffic accident prevention and safety management under major state tasks, and is working on a project to reduce the number of traffic-related casualties by half.
He made the remark at a rally for reducing traffic accidents in southeastern Seoul, adding that the government will draw up implementation measures to increase traffic safety.
He also promised that the gernment will improve traffic facilities at accident-prone areas and remove unnecessary traffic regulations. [KBS Global]
For those that don’t know, Korea by far leads the OECD in pedestrian fatalities caused by traffic accidents and is second in vehicle fatalities caused by traffic accidents. It is good to see the Korean government highlighting the traffic accident problem, but I suspect little will be done judging by the past track record.
You would think after 2002 traffic safety would be taken seriously in Korea and it wasn’t. In 2006 the Korean government vowed to crackdown on traffic accident and did nothing. Now in 2008 they once again are vowing to do something.
If the government wants to do something having policemen waving flags at intersections will have no effect because cars just run the red lights anyway. If the police want to improve safety start writing tickets, especially for people parking illegally causing additional congestion in the already crowded streets. Than expand from there and write tickets for the mopeds driving on the sidewalks. I could go on and on with suggestions but waving flags will change nothing.
2:19 pm on May 23rd, 2008 1
“Than expand from there and write tickets for the mopeds driving on the sidewalks”
Then where am I supposed to drive my moped? On the Road? Wasn’t the article about all the problems of driving on the roads in Korea?
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4:56 pm on May 23rd, 2008 2
hey Its the Korean System. Just because its not like the Americans does not make it wrong. You must learn to convert to the way of your host nation and realize everything American is not the best way
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8:59 pm on May 23rd, 2008 3
It seems they have the same politicians that we have back in America. Blah, blah, blah.
Anyways, enforcement is the only way that the message gets through. Unfortunately, it will be difficult to change a culture overnight…especially one that values resistance to change even when it is in their best interest.
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6:33 am on May 24th, 2008 4
When you lead the world in deadly traffic accidents and the government repeatedly claims it is going to do something about it and doesn’t, I think everyone has the right to criticize the “Korean System”.
I’m not the only one either because if read the KBS report the PM’s remarks were made in response to a rally held in Seoul for the government to do something about the traffic accident problem.
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9:43 am on May 24th, 2008 5
Your American elitism is coming to light. Certainly from the outside onlookers the Korean lead the world in deaths and such but you know Korean Drivers are faced everyday with special situations that foreigners cannot understand. Many of those deaths recorded each year are infact foreigners not knowing the roads. Koreans make a small amount of those yearly deaths.
Look at the way Koreans drive in the US…hailed by US drivers as the most careful and professional around.
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9:58 am on May 24th, 2008 6
“Many of those deaths recorded each year are infact foreigners not knowing the roads. Koreans make a small amount of those yearly deaths.”
Most ridiculus statement that I have EVER heard! And what are those “special situations”? Korean drivers have no patience and that leads to accidents. Do not blame anybody but the bad KOREAN drivers!
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10:07 am on May 24th, 2008 7
Your views are obviously strewed by your hatred of the Korean peoples. I think you should clear your mind first before we can have a productive dialog.
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10:29 am on May 24th, 2008 8
The fact Koreans run lights or park a way which is not acceptable to those on this site is not relevant. Korean people are clearly in the know of when and when not to obey traffic signals. Traffic signals are for foreigners who are very dangerous drivers. We all seen example of foreigners blowing horns or running over people in Korea. I think all foreigner’s should be banned from driving in Korea. All military car need to be driven by Korean driver and not careless foreigner.
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10:59 am on May 24th, 2008 9
“Your views are obviously strewed by your hatred of the Korean peoples.”
My wife is Korean. I have chosen to live in Korea. I enjoy Korea. If people can not be critical of their own nation and society, then that is a loss. No nation is anywhere near perfect and I’m shocked that you are 1) arguing that drivers in Korea do not need to be more careful and 2) that you blame foreigners for YOUR problems (as usual).
Do not lecture me about hatred when you spew nothing but venom.
“Traffic signals are for foreigners who are very dangerous drivers. We all seen example of foreigners blowing horns or running over people in Korea. I think all foreigner’s should be banned from driving in Korea. All military car need to be driven by Korean driver and not careless foreigner.”
Grow up.
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11:30 am on May 24th, 2008 10
Sorry for the multiple posts and I know I’m trolling on this topic, but this comment is too much.
“I think all foreigner’s should be banned from driving in Korea.”
It’s sad that some people are so hateful.
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11:36 am on May 24th, 2008 11
I see you defend your life style and ok I understand. I cannot expect to have professional discussion if you are so one sided. I have Korean wife too…what does that have to do with the hate some of the posters here display?
I guess by saying you have a korean wife is the same as saying “I have a black friend” right? This has nothing do do with bad foreigner driving habits and I think it would be best we keep on subject.
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11:43 am on May 24th, 2008 12
If you are so sure that foreigners are causing most of these accidents then I can assume you can provide a link for those stats?
Otherwise, keep you xenophobic rants to yourself and admit that traffic safety is more important than waving your flag.
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5:28 pm on May 24th, 2008 13
Kingkitty,
After some research, I was rather shocked to find that you are absolutely correct.
It turns out this has been studied in-depth through millions of dollars of American government funding as well as almost a quarter billion man-hours.
The (American) National Traffic Safety Board commissioned a document entitled, “Safety Report: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Causes of Anomalously High Incidents of South Korean Traffic-Related Legal Violations, Injuries and Fatalities Involving non-Asian North American Citizens”.
Available in HTML or PDF form here:
hxxp://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/H_Stu.htm
It found that Americans, and, to a lesser extent, Canadians, are responsible for a disproportionately large percentage of traffic incidents in Korea. In some accident classifications, North American citizens were responsible for the MAJORITY of accidents.
The document was amazingly complete other than the lack of statistical availability for North American citizens of Eskimo and Inuit decent as well as a glaring omission of Sentinelese-American.
One of the most interesting parts was the section on the Armored Vehicle vs. Schoolgirl Incident of 2002. Even among the experts there is some debate as to whether this was an one-time anomaly or a single data point on a much larger, and growing, trend… a belief held by the majority of the co-authors.
Some of the more telling statistics involved the fact that North American citizens have killed more Koreans than Koreans have killed North Americans in traffic accidents (even before unnormalized statistical weighting to insure the Boltzmann factor reflected the Korean special situation).
Further, there is no recorded incident of any American schoolgirl being killed by a South Korean armored vehicle in any represented category (from ox carts to jump jets).
This really changed my outlook and gave me much to consider. I truly hope some of the posters here will approach this document with an open mind instead of sticking with preconceived notions.
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8:20 pm on May 24th, 2008 14
Chickenhead,
Thanks for all the research. To bad Kingkitty has a very limited understanding of the english lanuage and will think that you were helping him.
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10:14 pm on May 24th, 2008 15
yeah i don’t think he’ll understand it chickenhead
he doesn’t even seem to realise how hateful he himself is being while accusing others of hatred…
but if they really are going to do something it would be nice^^
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10:27 pm on May 24th, 2008 16
Ok you have all convinced me. I am wrong and you are all right. Now lets round up all these bad koreans and send them off to camp for political re training
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12:40 pm on May 30th, 2008 17
[DELETED FOR PERSONAL ATTACK - MAKE YOUR POINT WITHOUT THE PERSONAL ATTACK]
On a serious note. I will explain the traffic statistic results for you. Korea has a PERCENTAGE BASED TRAFFIC VIOLATION SYSTEM. ANY ACCIDENT INVOLVING A FOREIGNER= Foreigner at fault at least 80%. I have a great example from personal experience so read on.
I personally was part of an accident in Korea. Guess what, I was stopped at a LEGAL RED LIGHT FOR A GOOD 15 SECONDS, when a korean woman tried to pass between my car and the orange traffic poles at the median. She scraped across my car and nearly got nailed by oncoming traffic. I waited for Korean police and MPs to arrive at the scene and check it out. Photographs were taken the scene was sketched by myself and my KATUSA soldiers.
30 minutes after the accident Korean police driving by stopped and asked what was going on, they spoke directly to the korean woman and explained to her,”Don’t worry the SOFA card will pay for it.” and then they left. We end up following another KNP to the office and stay there for 4 hours explaining with matchbox cars on the sketch I made how I was completely stopped at a red light and she tried to run the light somehow. The police officers decision was that I was 90% at fault SOMEHOW! and to just let the army pay for it. I debated for 2 days in the office coming back just to go through the same things again. Being white in korea= your fault. I finally agreed that I was somewhat at fault. I said translate this to him,”You’re right, I am 10% at fault for getting into the car on korean roads and she is 90% at fault for hitting me at a red light I was stopped at for 15 seconds, go ahead and time 15 seconds on your watch starting now”. The army had to pay for it in the end.
Summary. More foreigners are responsible for accidents in korea because they actually report them to the police. Then the police from there make it the foreigners fault as it always is in korea. So those statistics are reported and poof we are the largest cause. The fact is Koreans do hit and runs, we can’t because its quite obvious in a tactical vehicle. Koreans pay each other off to avoid police.
Koreans are not professional drivers in the states. There is a reason we call A.D.D. Asian Driver Disorder. It’s because they are horrible. They drive slow and never clear lanes before switching by using their mirrors and turn signals. THey just go while talking on the cell phone and hand gesturing with the other hand.
I have driven well over 30,000 miles in the few years I’ve spent in Korea. I have not been in a single accident minus that lady hitting me. I’ve avoided so many damned horrible drivers it’s crazy. Get your facts straight. Stop reading biased information and go experience it for yourself.
Typically military members do not get lost. We have someone who knows the route or we have a strip map telling us the way OR even a KATUSA soldier to show us. So it isnt because we are lost that accidents happen. Accidents happen because koreans are the worst drivers I have ever seen other than Jamaicans in jamaica while riding a tour bus that hit pedestrians and kept going pretending nothing happened. Korean Rush hour lasts for hours because there are too many cars on the road and too many idiots who cannot drive causing jams because they interrupt the traffic flow.
The number 1 reason Los Angeles Traffic is the worst in the states is because it has the highest Korean population out of all of the states, the next being New York.
[DELETED FOR PERSONAL ATTACK - ONCE AGAIN MAKE YOUR POINT WITHOUT THE PERSONAL ATTACK]
Sorry for writing a book.
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5:30 pm on May 30th, 2008 18
“Now lets round up all these bad koreans and send them off to camp”
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6:13 pm on May 30th, 2008 19
Chickenhead, that was funny by the way. Better then usual. I think the joke was lost to kingKittyLitter.
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2:00 am on May 31st, 2008 20
[...] think that even a small percentage of Koreans share the view of the Korean that is discussed below. ROK Drop reported that the Korean government was planning on implementing more traffic enforcement and [...]