30% of first-half expressway fatalities linked to unbuckled passengers, Korea Expressway Corporation warns

In January, a vehicle near the Guri tollgate on the Seoul Metropolitan Ring Expressway drifted between the third and fourth lanes for unknown reasons, failed to slow down at the toll exit and veered into a closed lane, striking a guardrail. Passengers not wearing seatbelts were thrown from the vehicle; the car then struck a barrier a second time before stopping. Two people died.

Thirty percent of traffic fatalities on expressways in the first half of this year involved victims who were not wearing seatbelts, according to data the Korea Expressway Corporation released Monday.

The corporation cited the Korea Transportation Safety Authority's "2025 Traffic Culture Index Survey" in releasing the figures. The share marks a jump of 9.4 percentage points above the 19 percent average recorded over the past three years.

By seat position, the front passenger seat had the highest seatbelt usage rate at 85.3 percent, followed by the driver's seat at 85.01 percent and rear seats at 69.65 percent — the lowest of the three. Rear-seat usage fell 8.3 percentage points from the previous year.

Not wearing a seatbelt raises the risk of sustaining multiple serious injuries — to the head, neck and chest — by up to nine times compared with being buckled in. The fatality rate is 2.8 times higher for front-seat occupants and 3.7 times higher for rear-seat occupants who go unbelted.

By vehicle type, seatbelt usage among truck drivers stood at 78.3 percent, well below the expressway-wide average of 85 percent.

"Accidents arrive without warning the moment you let your guard down," a Korea Expressway Corporation official said. "The three-second habit of buckling up is the surest way to protect lives — we urge not only drivers but also family members and passengers in the back seat to always wear their seatbelts."