S. Korea Moving to Lower Speed Limit on Urban Streets | Be Korea-savvy

S. Korea Moving to Lower Speed Limit on Urban Streets


(Image: Kobiz Media)

(Image: Kobiz Media)

SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Korea Bizwire)South Korea said Tuesday it will push to lower the maximum speed limit for urban streets as part of efforts to reduce deadly vehicle accidents.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it plans to revise the road traffic law this year to decrease the city speed limit from 60 kilometers per hour to 50 km/h, with a goal of implementing it in 2019.

Speed limits for roads in residential areas and school zones will be set below 30 km/h under the new regulation, the ministry said.

The government has adopted 50 km/h speed limit in some parts of Seoul and the administrative city of Sejong to test its effectiveness in reducing fatal car accidents involving pedestrians.

The ministry said the new system is aimed at improving safety of pedestrians, as they accounted for 40 percent of car crash deaths in 2015, with more than half of fatal accidents taking place on narrow streets.

About nine out of 100,000 people were killed in car accidents in South Korea in 2015, nearly double the average for Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries, according to the ministry.

(Yonhap)

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