Drunk drivers to see cars confiscated

Passengers also to be punished

By Yi Whan-woo

People who habitually driving-under-the-influence (DUI) of alcohol will have their cars confiscated, and passengers riding with a drunk driver will also be subject to punishment, Seoul police said Thursday.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said that a crackdown will target areas where many bars, clubs and restaurants are concentrated.

“The plan is to reduce DUI-related accidents that have been increasing despite harsher punishment,” said Hong Myeong-gon, superintendent of the Traffic Planning Division.

The government has strengthened punishment for DUI offenders with revisions to the criminal laws twice, first in 2007 and then in 2011. The policy, however, has not been effective, according to police.

“The number of such accidents increased from 3,501 in 2005 to 3,687 last year,” said another superintendent Jeon Soon-hong of the Traffic Safety Division. “The cost of damage has been about 700 billion won ($607.9 million) and we needed to come up with stricter measures to root out the crime.”

Seoul will be the country’s second city after Gwangju to allow police to confiscate the vehicles of repeat DUI offenders. Gwangju adopted the policy some time ago and has seen a drop in the number of drunken driving accidents, according to Hong.

Police will confiscate cars of those who are caught at least three times.

The agency said it ordered its district stations to define downtown areas where there are a high concentration of bars, clubs and restaurants, and also traffic zones where DUI-related accidents often occur.

“Gangnam Station and Shinchon are definitely on the list as a lot of young people gather in these areas to enjoy the nightlife there,” Hong said.

Patrols will be made about three times a week, and civilian volunteers will also take part.

“We want to be fair and objective in our surveillance, and we also want citizens to learn that DUI is very dangerous,” Hong said.

Police said they need to take a “very prudent approach” in punishing the passengers of cars driven by drunk drivers.

The agency said it needs to discuss with the prosecution to what extent it can apply Article 30 of the Criminal Law that governs punishing accomplices of criminals.

“Many citizens would not agree that the passengers are actually accomplices, and we need to be very careful in applying the law,” Hong said.