[On-site] “Freeze” to drunk drivers on the school run: police launch no-nonsense traffic crackdown

[Financial News]"This is a drunk-driving check in a child protection zone. Please drive safely." It was the morning rush hour on the 4th near Seoul Yanggang Elementary School in Yangcheon District, Seoul. From 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., when traffic was heaviest, Seoul Yangcheon Police Station conducted intensive drunk-driving checks along a 100-meter stretch of the school-zone roadway in front of the school. Officers stopped passing vehicles, held out breathalyzers, and drivers blew into the devices.According to police that day, 264 traffic officers from 31 police stations across Seoul and 21 members of the traffic mobile unit were deployed to carry out simultaneous crackdowns in front of elementary schools during morning drop-off hours. The operation is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA)’s "Seoul Traffic Re-Design Project," aimed at easing traffic inconveniences and fostering a safer traffic culture. In Yangcheon District in particular, Seoul Yangcheon Police Station stationed eight traffic officers and a traffic patrol car on the road in front of the school to secure safety on the way to class at the start of the new semester.
Drivers were somewhat taken aback by drunk-driving checks so early in the morning, but most complied calmly. Officers stood in a single line, spaced two to three meters apart, and began the operation. Holding a lighted baton in one hand and a breathalyzer in the other, they guided drivers to blow into the device. A few motorists grumbled, asking, "Why are you doing this during the busy commute?" or hesitated to lower their masks, but the majority were cooperative.

There were also a few minor incidents during the checks. In three cases, the initial screening device reacted, but detailed measurements later confirmed that the drivers had not been drinking. Around 8:27 a.m., one man whose car was pulled over after the device reacted said, "I haven’t had any alcohol at all. I only ate an apple and some bread this morning, and I did use a sanitizer." His actual blood alcohol concentration was 0%, confirming he was sober.
Other drivers were flagged in the first screening after using mouthwash or windshield washer fluid. An officer explained, "The sensor is very sensitive, so sometimes it reacts even just to mouthwash. If you haven’t been drinking, rinsing your mouth with water and then taking the precision test will give an accurate reading." Instead of a breath test, officers can also draw blood using a blood collection kit to measure blood alcohol concentration.
Police were not only targeting drunk driving. They also issued warnings and citations for other traffic violations that threaten children’s safety, such as running red lights. Around 9 a.m., a man riding an electric scooter without a helmet in front of Seoul Yanggang Elementary School was stopped by officers. He was fined 20,000 won. An officer told him, "You have 10 days to pay the fine or file an objection."
Parents expressed satisfaction with the enforcement. A 40-year-old parent, identified by the surname Kim, who was returning home after dropping off a child, said, "My child asked, 'Why is the police car there?' 'What is a drunk-driving checkpoint?' and said, 'Seeing the police car is scary.' I explained that drunk driving is what’s scary, and that for people who haven’t done anything wrong, police cars are not something to be afraid of," adding, "I just hope children can go to and from school safely."
Yoon Sung-yong, Chief of the Traffic Management Division at Yangcheon Police Station, who led the operation, stated, "To mark the start of the new semester, we have decided to strengthen large-scale, intensive crackdowns on drunk driving, red-light violations, and failure to yield to pedestrians in school zones. The focus is on ensuring safe walking routes for children on their way to school in child protection school zones, in line with our key theme of no-nonsense enforcement that citizens can truly feel."

SMPA announced that the intensive crackdown uncovered four cases of drunk driving, including one case resulting in license revocation and three in license suspension. In addition, officers cited seven cases of running red lights and a total of 22 violations overall. They also issued 71 warnings.
Going forward, police plan to work with local governments to crack down on illegal parking and stopping, and to inspect whether safety rules are being followed at construction sites within school zones. They also intend to install more pedestrian safety fences and take a tough stance on drivers who fail to make a full stop at unsignalized crosswalks.
SMPA is currently mobilizing all available officers to carry out what it calls "no-nonsense crackdowns" on the four major traffic violations designated by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. The four targeted categories are: cutting in or blocking intersections (including tailgating through), two-wheeled vehicles—such as motorcycles, personal mobility devices and bicycles—riding on sidewalks, drunk driving in school zones and failure to stop at unsignalized crosswalks, and violations of designated lanes on roads reserved for specific vehicles.
jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter