Lighting up for safer roads

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs. Glenn Lawrie of Taean, South Chungcheong province, wrote:

Q:
In the interest of public safety, why do Korean police refuse to address the issue of vehicular lighting?

Too many drivers refuse to turn on their lights or refuse to replace burned-out bulbs.

Another not insignificant group of drivers opts to replace their amber turn-signal lights with fashionable blues or greens.

Also, has any thought been given to the legislation of daytime running lights? If this were implemented, the headlights would always be on when the vehicle is running; this would be a boon to safety.

Violators of these illumination infractions could be stopped and issued a 48-hour notice for proof of compliance with the law, and recividivists could be fined.

Driving in Korea need not be a freestyle and full-contact sport.

A:
According to Officer Kim Jae-yun at Jungbu Police Station in central Seoul, the Korean Road and Traffic Laws do regulate vehicular lighting. Article No. 32 states that failure to operate headlights on the vehicle at night incurs a penalty of 20,000 won ($16) for cars and 10,000 won for motorcycles.

The use of colored lights is covered in Article No. 48, which addresses the attachment of illegal objects onto a vehicle. When caught, offenders must pay a 20,000 or 10,000 won fine, for four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles respectively.

Having headlights on during the daytime is not addressed in Korean law. “Drivers can sometimes experience unsafe road conditions because of low visibility, which would require lights to be on during the day,” Mr. Kim said.

However, there is no law requiring this, he said. Mr. Kim said his station has received no complaints related to daytime headlight use.