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KMID : 0915820110120020109
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Journal of Korean Alcohol Science
2011 Volume.12 No. 2 p.109 ~ p.123
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Analysis of Trends in Drink-driving Traffic Accidents in Korea
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Chun Sung-Soo
Cho Jung-A
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Abstract
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Objectives: Because road traffic accidents are related in alcohol strongly, most countries prohibit drink-driving. Korea also prohibits drink-driving under the Road Traffic Act during the last 20 years. Continuous legislative efforts have been made to update and renew drink-driving laws, ordinances and regulations from 1989 to 2011, and this has resulted in the formation of the present legislations. But drink-driving is one of the major causes of deaths and injuries in Korea until today. The aim of this study is to analyze trends of drink-driving accidents, fatalities, and related indexes of Korea.
Methods: We reviewed the Road Traffic Accident in Korea reported by Road Traffic Safety Authority from 1998 to 2010. For figuring out drink-driving related accidents we calculated accident rate, fatality rate, and injury incidence rate caused by drink-driving per 100,000 persons from 1998 to 2010. The other drink-driving related accidents indexes were calculated by the same criteria. The Road Traffic Acts, the Enforcement Ordinances, and Enforcement Regulations from 1989 to 2011 have been reviewed, put in order according to the landmarks of the laws. The periods of the drink-driving policy were divided into two stages according to big changes of the laws: the first stage is from 1999 to 2005 and the second stage is from 2005 to 2010. T-test was applied to compare means differences of rates between the drink-driving policy stages, and correlation co-efficient were calculated.
Results: Means of drink-driving accident rate per 100,000 persons have been decreased from first stage to the second stage (p<.1). Mean of fatality rate per 100,000 persons of the first stage was 2.15 and the second stage was 2.88 (p<.1). Fatality rates have been decreased dramatically during the last 12 years, and correlation co-efficient was -.740 (p<.01). Drink-driving accidents rate of age group 16-20 has been decreased, but age group over 50 has been increased during the observational period.
Conclusion: The drink-driving countermeasures in Korea were effective to reduce accidents and deaths caused by drink-driving. Although drink-driving accidents have decreased during the last 12 year, proportion of accidents among total road traffic accidents has been increased and is still high.
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KEYWORD
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alcohol, alcohol policy, drinking, drink-driving, drink-driving countermeasure, traffic accident
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