Evaluating the Effects of Safety Policy Measures on Traffic Fatalities in Korea

The effects of five traffic safety policies implemented in Korea are evaluated: the seat belt law; the installation of a tachometer or a speed limiter; a three-strikeout driving while intoxicated (DWI) offence; a heavier penalty for a DWI offence; and the traffic violator report rewarding program. The monthly counts of crashes, injuries and fatalities in 1984-2003 were examined using an ARIMA intervention impact analysis to detect statistically and quantify the effectiveness of each of the five policies. No statistically significant abrupt and permanent impacts of the five policies on reducing the numbers of total crashes, fatalities and injuries were found.