Driving Safety

[Anchor Lead]

Using smartphones while driving can lead to accidents. But even so, phone use is easily spotted even among bus drivers who need to be all the more aware of the safety of many passengers.But as it is, penalties are very light.

[Pkg]

This is footage filmed by a passenger. A bus driver drives keeping one hand on his mobile phone at all times. At the stop, the driver is once again, immediately glued to his phone. Here inside another downtown bus.

[Soundbite] Bus Announcement : "Passengers please refrain from using mobile phones."

Completely ignoring the bus's own announcement, the driver casually takes out his phone. Embarrassingly for the bus company, this notice reads that drivers will not use phones behind the wheel. The situation is similar on other buses as well. When the vehicle stops, drivers invariably take out their phones.

[Soundbite] Song Gyeong-jae(Passenger) : "Many are on board so an accident can lead to injuries while the bus itself can turn into a weapon."

This is one driver's confession.

[Soundbite]Bus Driver(Voice Modified) : "Fellow drivers talk about all sorts of stories through messenger while driving. I'd say that some are addicted."

He received protests from passengers several times while he was trying to check text messages frequently sent by fellow drivers. Among the death toll from traffic accidents last year, 69% were in cases where safe driving regulations were not observed, including using the phone behind the wheel. Even if a bus driver is caught using the phone, a 70,000 won fine and 15 penalty points are all that are imposed. While bus drivers are responsible for the safety of multiple passengers, they are not subject to additional punishment. The penalties don't even apply when using phones while stopped at traffic signals.

[Soundbite] Yoo Sang-yong(Samsung Traffic Safety Research Institute) : "Drivers using their phones even during the stop sign can still make the passengers nervous. This can also cause a sudden takeoff when the light turns and other safety incidents inside the bus."

For the sake of passenger safety, there are increasing calls for a stiffer clampdown of bus drivers' phone use.