Drunk driver rams SUV onto pedestrian road

As people are in anger over the tragic death of a 50-something father while delivering fried chicken by a ‘drunk driver in Eulwang-ni,’ Incheon, another motorist while driving a sport utility vehicle under the influence in central Seoul drove his vehicle onto the pedestrian road, leaving a woman injured. While drinking parties have declined in number amid the ‘strengthened social distancing measure’ due to a resurgence of Covid-19, accidents caused by drunk driving jumped 16.9 percent during this year’s February – August period year on year after the spread of the virus.

Seongbuk Police Station in Seoul said that it booked without detention a 40-something man for driving his vehicle while under the influence to hit a pedestrian road at the intersection at Hansung University Station on Subway Line 4 around 7:56 p.m. Thursday. According to the police, the drunk driver rammed his car into a 30-something woman, who was waiting for green light at a pedestrian crossing, while making a left turn at the intersection.

As passers-by gathered around the woman who had fallen on the pedestrian road after being hit, the driver got out of his car, while staggering under the influence. The woman was hospitalized due to minor injury from the accident. Police found the driver was completely intoxicated with his blood alcohol level reaching 0.08 percent, which is high enough to nullify his driver’s license.

On June 24, a 64-year-old drunken man hit vehicles parked on the street at a three-way intersection in Busan’s Dong-gu district. He further drove his car about 2 kilometers after the accident to reach Bosu-dong Café Street, before being arrested by police after a pedestrian’s reporting to the police. The man’s blood alcohol level was 0.153 percent, which was high enough to nullify his driver’s license.

According to statistics the National Police Agency submitted to Rep. Kim Yong-pan of the People Power Party of the parliamentary Public Administration and Security Committee on Friday, the number of accidents caused by drunk driving during the February-August period of this year amounted to 10,040, up 16.89 percent from the figure (8,589) in the same period of last year.


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