Highway deaths up 50% this year as drivers over-rely on cruise control

Highway fatalities in South Korea surged in the first five months of this year compared with the same period last year, according to new data.

Deaths on expressways reached 96 from January through May, a 52.4 percent increase from 63 in the same period last year — the steepest year-on-year rise in 14 years.

Secondary crashes — collisions involving vehicles stopped on the highway due to breakdowns or other causes — killed 15 people, accounting for 15.6 percent of all fatalities and representing a fivefold increase from three deaths in the same period last year.

Accidents involving stationary or slow-moving vehicles claimed 12 lives, or 12.5 percent of the total.

Authorities attributed part of the increase to drivers paying insufficient attention to the road ahead while relying on adaptive cruise control and similar driver-assistance systems.

"Vehicle technology is advancing, but paradoxically, driver inattention is driving up fatal accidents on expressways," a Korean National Police Agency official said.

By time of day, nearly half of all deaths — 47, or 48.9 percent — occurred during late-night and early-morning hours (midnight to 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.) and during midday hours (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.).

By location, 22 people, or 22.9 percent, died in the passing lane, where the fatality rate of 11.7 percent was 2.3 times higher than in other lanes, the Korean National Police Agency said.

Tunnels and underpasses also saw a sharp rise, with 14 deaths recorded — a 250 percent increase from the same period last year.

The Korean National Police Agency plans to roll out targeted safety measures for high-risk stretches and time slots based on an in-depth analysis of the fatal accidents.

The agency will concentrate personnel at chronic congestion zones and accident-prone hours to strengthen safety management. It also plans to promote safe driving practices to ensure no one stands on an expressway under any circumstances, and to reinforce safety infrastructure at accident-prone tunnel and underpass sections.