Traffic Accident Death Toll Fell Sharply in 1998

The traffic accident death toll sharply decreased in 1998 while the number of drunk drivers and hit-and-run accidents increased.
According to the white paper on 'traffic accidents in 1998', released by the National Police Agency, the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents declined by 21.9 percent to 9,057 from 1997.
It is the first time in 11 years that the death toll has fallen to under 10,000. The total number of traffic accidents also decreased to 239,000, down 2.7 percent on the previous year.
Accidents brought about by drunken drivers last year climbed 10.4 percent to 25,000, leaving 1,113 people dead and 40,400 injured.
The number of hit-and-run drivers jumped by 29.6 percent to 23,000. 4.2 percent of the culprits were arrested.
An official at the police agency said that increased observation of traffic laws, on top of the diminishing volume of traffic stemming from the Korean economic crisis, contributed to the reduction in traffic accidents.
Jangsoo Seo:jsbee@joongang.co.kr