Year of Publication
2017
College
Martin School of Public Policy and Administration
Date Available
10-10-2018
Committee Chair
Dr. J. S. Butler
Executive Summary
The Korean government has paid attention to drowsy driving, because drowsy driving accounts for a high percentage of traffic accidents, and the government thought that it could address this problem with facility improvements. The Korean Government beg an installing simple rest spots, called ‘Drowsy Shelters’, on the highway for drivers who feel tired, in 2011. In this study, I figured out that the distance between rest areas is related to the number of drowsy diving accidents. When the distance between rest areas increases by 1 km, drowsy diving accidents increase. Therefore, this policy seems to be effective in terms of preventing traffic accidents.
An intriguing point is that in drowsy driving accident cases, unlike ordinary traffic accidents, bad weather or bad road condition decreases drowsy driving accidents. I think the bad driving environment makes people tense and pay attention to their driving. The reduction in intervals between rest spots has statistically detectable effect on deaths caused by drowsy driving. The effect of drowsy shelters seems obvious for reduction of traffic accidents. Therefore, this policy should be continued and encouraged until the interval between rest spots is less than 10 miles (16 kilometers). Long-distance trucks and commercial vehicle drivers have a high probability of drowsy driving, so when installing drowsy shelters, it is necessary to secure enough parking space for large vehicles.
Recommended Citation
Chun, Hye Jin, "The Effect of 'Drowsy Shelters' in Preventing Traffic Accidents in South Korea" (2017). MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects. 291.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/mpampp_etds/291
