The expressway system is neither efficient nor safe compared with other countries. It is not integrated well with other highway system and produce more traffic accidents than normally expected. It's ratio of 0.28 death per ㎞ is the highest among the...
The expressway system is neither efficient nor safe compared with other countries. It is not integrated well with other highway system and produce more traffic accidents than normally expected. It's ratio of 0.28 death per ㎞ is the highest among the OECD Nations and 10 times higher than that of Japan or Sweden. It is obligatory therefore for the KHC to enhance the highway safety for the sake of the nation' welfare. First of all, the KHC has to set a target to reach. The study team's proposition is to reach the current (1997) safety level of leading OECD countries by Year 2020. In order to meet this target. taking the KHC's highway extension plan into consideration, the number of deaths by traffic accident should be halved by 2020. Considering the experiences of the leading OECD countries who could reduce the accidents dramatically in 1970's through 1980's the above goal is not impossible to accomplish. However in order to realize such reduction of accidents, a strong safety policy, as strong as those adopted by the OECD countries is essential. It is strongly recommended to establish a Safety Promotion Coordination Committee (SPCC) in the KHC, which will be chaired by the president of the KHC, and to produce the KHC Safety Yearbook. Then the other related safety measures such as strengthening KHC's planning function and adopting comprehensive safety promotion program can be initiated by the Committee. It is study team's sincere plead that our traffic safety problems persist not because we do not know the strategies but because we do not adopt the strategies and implement them. To adopt and carry out such strategies many important decisions should be made, and a decision making process should be established. This is why we are recommending strongly to establish the SPCC and to produce the KHC Safety Yearbook.