Traffic accidents 1.4 times higher on the day before the Chuseok holiday than usual... concentrated from 4 to 6 p.m.

[Financial News]  Traffic accidents were found to increase by nearly 40% on the day before the Chuseok holiday compared with normal levels. Accidents were particularly concentrated from 4 to 6 p.m., when vehicles heading to their hometowns for the holiday crowded the roads. The survey also found that each traffic accident during Chuseok resulted in more casualties than usual, while residential fires increased on Chuseok itself, when food preparation peaks.
An analysis by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of traffic accidents over the past five years (2021–2025) found that there were an average of 750 accidents per day on the day before the holiday began. This was about 1.4 times the overall daily average of 541 during the same period. By time of day, accidents began to increase at 2 p.m., peaked at 123 between 4 and 6 p.m., and totaled 104 between 6 and 8 p.m.
Although the number of accidents declined during the holiday, the number of casualties was higher when accidents did occur. Over the past five years, there were 988,500 traffic accidents and 1,420,715 casualties, meaning that 144 people were injured or killed for every 100 accidents. During the Chuseok holiday, there were 11,510 accidents and 19,084 casualties, or 166 people per 100 accidents—22 more than usual.
The share of drunk-driving accidents also rose from the usual 6.5% to 8.7% during the Chuseok holiday, an increase of 2.2 percentage points. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety urged drivers to inspect their braking systems and tires before long-distance trips and to stop at a rest area or a drowsy-driving rest area if they feel tired or sleepy while driving.
People should be especially careful at home on Chuseok itself, when the use of fire increases. Of the 1,122 fires that occurred on the day before Chuseok, on Chuseok, and on the following day over the past five years, residential fires accounted for 411, or 36.6%. This was 9.4 percentage points higher than the usual share of 27.2%. The daily average of residential fires was 32.8 on Chuseok, higher than the 28.6 recorded on the previous day and 21.6 on the following day.
Carelessness was responsible for nearly half of the fires. Among residential fires during the Chuseok holiday, those caused by carelessness, such as cooking food or leaving an ignition source unattended, were the most common, totaling 194 cases, or 47.2%. Electrical factors accounted for 126 cases, or 30.7%, while mechanical factors accounted for 17 cases, or 4.1%.
When oil catches fire while cooking, never pour water on it. Hot oil can splatter and the flames can spread, so the gas and power supply should be shut off first. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety recommended keeping a Class K fire extinguisher in the kitchen and, where possible, plugging heat-generating kitchen appliances into dedicated outlets.

[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter