KB News Desk
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on Thursday revealed a target of cutting traffic accident deaths by 30 percent by 2030 through wider use of artificial intelligence, data and advanced technologies.
“We established countermeasures to reduce traffic accidents by analyzing the patterns in recurring accidents and key risk factors,” Han said at a ministerial meeting on Thursday.
According to Han, 2,549 people died in traffic accidents last year or about seven deaths per day.
Han said the government will expand the use of AI-powered pedestrian signals that can automatically extend the duration of a light when it detects pedestrians on the crosswalks. The government also plans to prevent recurring accidents and major accidents through the use of data and advanced technologies.
“We will focus first on reducing fatalities among vulnerable groups, such as pedestrians, where traffic accident deaths are concentrated,” Han said.
The government outlined increasing subsidies for installing pedal misapplication prevention devices, as well as improving policies to better identify drivers with diminished physical or cognitive abilities.
The government also plans to strengthen infrastructure to improve driving safety, including expanding snow-removal equipment, installing meteorological network systems on highways and providing black ice warnings.
