Dangerous Car Ban

[Anchor Lead]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport is thinking about putting a banning people from driving problematic BMW vehicles. Until now the government has been reluctant to put a ban on the potentially dangerous vehicles, citing the lack of relevant regulations. But the ministry has begun looking into taking action as criticism continues to mount.

[Pkg]

In an unprecedented firm move, the government has decided to look into issuing a driving ban on given vehicles. The decision came a day after the Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to do "everything it can." The ban will be enforced on vehicles among the 106,000 recalled BMWs that did not receive safety inspections by the 14th or ones that were deemed to be dangerous.

[Soundbite] Kim Hyun-mee (Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) : "Unforeseen vehicle fires in public places could lead to bigger accidents. I again plead with you to refrain from driving your cars before getting safety inspections."

According to the existing law, the head of a local government body can restrict the operation of a vehicle that impedes safe driving. The Ministry has been reluctant to place a drive ban until now, claiming that there hadn't been enough legal grounds. The government threatened to include the vehicles that didn't undergo safety inspections by August 14th in the ban list, but it's questionable whether or not the inspections would be completed on time. Out of the 106,000 recalled vehicles, only 40,000 have been inspected. That means the remaining 60,000-plus vehicles will have to examined within the next week. Even if the drive ban is put in place, the Ministry believes that it would be hard to fine those who violate the ban. With the possibility of a ban, BMW owners probably have to bear with the inconvenience much longer. Meanwhile, some BMW owners have decided to file a criminal lawsuit against the carmaker for covering up the defect.