The government will introduce a public reporting system that uses black boxes installed on buses, taxis, and other commercial means of transportation. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Starting next month, black boxes in taxis and buses will be used to track illegal activities such as motorcycles operating on sidewalks or bicycle paths.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced Monday that it will join hands with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the National Police Agency to reduce the number of deaths caused by motorcycle accidents.
MOLIT will focus on accident and violation hotspots to detect illegal activities such as traffic light violations or driving over the centerline.
The government will regularly check on drivers with records of habitual offenses and their employers to ensure proper management and control, and apply dual liabilities if necessary.
To crack down on motorcycles violating traffic lights or driving on pedestrian walkways, MOLIT will introduce a public reporting system that uses black boxes installed on buses, taxis, and other commercial means of transportation.
The government will organize a group of agents in charge of reporting on traffic safety, consisting of more than 1,000 members, to begin operations on May 1.
Authorities will also promote reporting through Smart Citizen’s Reporting, a smartphone application run by the National Police Agency.
In the meantime, MOLIT will ask the Road Traffic Authority to offer education programs for newly recruited delivery riders to reduce the risk of traffic accidents among them.
In addition, by improving safety functions on delivery apps, drivers will be notified when entering hotspots for traffic accidents, and will be reminded to put on a safety helmet.
“As the number of deliveries is increasing following the coronavirus outbreak, there are more people dying from motorcycle accidents,” said Eo Myeong-so, a traffic policy officer at MOLIT.
“We plan to work with affiliated agencies and delivery platforms to come up with strong measures against motorcycle safety.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
