"Are you on your seatbelt?"

Special crackdowns on wearing seat belts all over the month are being carried out. According to the Road Traffic Act revised on September 28th, it is mandatory to wear seat belts in all seats. If the passenger does not wear a safety belt, the driver will pay a fines of 30,000 won. If the passenger is under 13 years old, he or she must pay double.

However, some people are worried that they are not responsible for the violation of the safety belts, so I have discussed the issue of the penalty for not wearing safety belts.

■ "30,000 won if you do not have a seat belt" ... All seat belts worn, what is the difference?

First, let's look at the standards related to the changed safety belts. According to the revised law, the obligation to wear safety belts, which was imposed only on the driver and passenger seats on public roads, has been extended to passengers in the rear seats. That is, every person in the vehicle must wear a safety belt. And if there is a seat that does not have a seat belt, there is a penalty for the driver unconditionally. In fact, in Europe and North America, we introduced mandatory safety belts for all seats since early 2000s. In Canada, all seats have been fitted with safety belts and child car seats since 1990. In Australia and Japan, we introduced mandatory safety belts for all seats since 2008, 10 years ago.

As the situation looks like this, there is a big difference in the wearing rate of the safety belt. According to the OECD Annual Report on International Road Traffic Accidents last year, the wearing rate of safety belts in Korea was 88.5% in the front seat and 30.2% in the rear seat. In Germany, 98.6% of the front seats were in the back seat, 99% in the back seat, and 97% in the front seats and 96% in the back seats.

■ Safety belts are mandatory, but current laws do not charge buses, taxis ...

Compared to other countries, it is fortunate that all seat belts are mandatory now, but there are also voices of concern about effectiveness. According to the amendment, the fines for not wearing safety belts are only for the driver. However, in the case of commercial vehicles equipped with safety belts, such as taxis, express buses, and intercity buses, there is a gap.

If the driver has the right to wear the safety belt in any way to the passenger, the passenger will not be punished without having to wear the safety belt. In a nutshell, if a public transport driver asks you to "hang a safety belt" on an announcement or verbal basis, there is no one who will be responsible for the passenger 's arrest for the use of a safety belt. Actually, on the 2nd, SBS reporters went to the crackdown site. This day, the highway and intercity buses were not enforced, and taxis were caught, but at the time of departure, they did not pay a penalty because the guards sounded at the meter.

■ 'Life belt' is also useless if not wearing ... Recognize that it's inconvenient and annoying.

For some people, taxis, express buses, and intercity buses are obliged to wear safety belts, regardless of whether they are broadcasted. In addition, it is pointed out that, along with strengthened legal punishment, priority should be given to changing perceptions of drivers, passengers and transit passengers.

According to a survey by the Hyundai Maritime Transportation Climate & Environment Institute, 52% of the respondents said that the reason they did not put safety belts in the back seat was "uncomfortable". Followed by "I think the back seat is safe," followed by 26% and "I do not think there is an accident" at 13%. Still, there is a growing perception that wearing seat belts in Korea is cumbersome and cumbersome.
Safety belts increase the chance of survival to 50 to 75% when a crash occurs. It is for this reason that the safety belt is called the "life belt". But there is no meaning unless you wear a life belt. You can be fatal, depending on what impact you have on the back seat.

It is a way to ensure the safety of both the driver and the passenger, with the idea of ​​'short distance' rather than 'short distance'.

(Planning and composition: Shim Woo-seop, Jang Aram / Design: Chung Ho Chung)