Warnings against drowsy driving on expressways turn out effective

Statistics show that the number of accidents caused by drowsy driving on highways has dropped sharply this spring, compared to the same period of last year.

According to the data released by the Korea Expressway Corporation on Thursday, the number of accidents and the death toll caused by drivers dozing off behind the wheel on highways has decreased by 24.5 percent (from 229 to 173 cases) and by 34.6 percent (from 26 to 17 persons), respectively year on year. The corporation analyzed that its active communication efforts including putting up warning banners against drowsy driving on the sides of motorways have been effective.

Since 61 percent of the highway fatalities were caused by falling asleep while driving last year, the local expressway corporation started a large-scale campaign to prevent dozing off behind the wheel in April and May this year. To warn drivers of the sleepy driving’s risk, banners and large-sized placards with straightforward wordings have been put up in 2,782 locations including entrance of highway toll booths, soundproof walls and mouths of tunnels. Wordings varied ranging from a warning to a plea, such as “Drowsy driving is gambling to put your life at stake” and “Sleepy driving! Killing yourself and others!” Controversy was sparked over the campaign’s effectiveness as provocative messages had been delivered for two months.

The corporation plans to build 30 additional rest areas for sleepy drivers on expressways. “Although controversy was generated due to the campaign against dozing off behind the wheel, we believe the campaign has contributed to a sharp decrease in the number of car accidents on highways," a corporation official said. "The corporation has a plan to launch a massive scale campaign during the spring season when the number of cases of drowsy driving is increased.”

hyuk@donga.com