Police to crack down on drunk driving with 'return to normalcy'

A police officer from Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency conducts a sobriety test on a driver in this Nov. 26, 2020 file photo. The police announced, Sunday, it will crack down on drunk driving through carrying out driver checks for three months starting Monday, as more drinking is expected during the year-end season, especially with the government easing social distancing measures in its “Living with COVID-19” scheme. Korea Times photo by Yoon Joo-young

By Lee Hae-rin

Police will crack down on drunk driving during the year-end season, as more gatherings and drinking sessions are expected, especially with the nation's eased social distancing measures in its “Living with COVID-19” plan.

The National Police Agency said, Sunday, it will carry out sobriety tests on drivers in entertainment districts across the country for three months, starting Monday. The locations and times of the police checks will change often to prevent drivers from sharing information on the specific times and locations of the tests, it said.

“The upcoming checks are in response to the gradual lifting of social distancing regulations. Nighttime crackdowns may be extended as well, as the curfew of restaurants and bars will be lifted,” the agency said.

Authorities noted that accidents from drunk driving have decreased since the social distancing measures were introduced during the pandemic.

For the first nine months in 2020, a total of 13,144 traffic accidents took place from drunk driving, killing 228 and injuring 21,426 people. During the same period this year, the total number decreased by 19.2 percent to 10,622, with 128 fatalities and 16,789 injured.

However, the number of people caught drunk driving is on the rise again. From January to September of this year, increased police testing caught 309.9 people a day on average for driving under the influence, but the number rose to 361.8 in October. The police expect the number to increase further during the year-end season.

“We ask all drivers to remember that drunk driving is a ticking time bomb. Please drive safely, for the sake of both the driver and others on the road,” a police official from the traffic safety department said in an official statement.