Analysis: 21% of DUI accidents occur daytime

An analysis of data from the Korea Insurance Development Institute on accidents caused by drinking and driving over the past five years, conducted by The Dong-A Ilbo, revealed that accidents caused by driving under influence occur throughout the day and night, irrespective of a specific timespan or period. The statistics run counter to common sense that traffic accidents from drinking and driving would be concentrated at late night hours.

According to statistics on driving under influence (DUI) accidents from KIDI, November saw the most accidents by month, while such accidents most frequently occurred between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. DUI accidents amounted to 3,458 cases on average per month, and such accidents continuously occurred every month. According to the data on DUI accidents by hours, DUI accidents that occur during daytime (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) also accounted for 21.1 percent of all DUI accidents. This means that DUI is frequently committed during daytime as well as nighttime.

Since KIDI data include DUI cases with a blood alcohol level of 0.05 percent or higher that were not reported to police, the institute has accident statistics more than what police have. The portion of accidents that are not compiled in police statistics but included in KIDI statistics has been on the rise from 32.7 percent in 2011 to 39.8 percent last year. KIDI estimates that a considerable portion of traffic accidents that are resolved without being reported to police would be cases related to DUI.

As the number of female drivers has increased, the portion of DUI accidents caused by woman drivers is also on the rise. The total number of DUI accidents declined last year from 2012, while the number of DUI accidents involving female drivers jumped 4.9 percent from 4,285 cases in 2012 to 4,496.

Experts say that Korea will be able to root out drinking and driving practices only with a change of social mood that has been lenient towards drinking. Lim Joo-hyeok, head of KIDI’s statistics team, said, “Past statistics suggest that the number of DUI accidents was affected significantly by external factors including police crackdown,” adding, “Beefing up crackdown and toughening punishment for DUI is the best way to increase the sense of alert among the public and reduce accidents.”