LEGAL SPEED ON THOROUGHFARES TO BE CUT

[Anchor Lead]

Starting next year, the legal speed limit on major thoroughfares in Seoul will be lowered from the current 60 kilometers an hour to 50 kilometers. The lowered speed limit is already in effect in some regions on a trial bases. Let's see what changes the lowered speed limit has brought to the areas.

[Pkg]

A six-lane road in a downtown area. Shortly past lunch time, A police officer measures driving speed of passing cars. No vehicle is caught exceeding 50-kilometers-per-hour.

[Soundbite] "(How fast was the car now? Speed?) 44 kilometers per hour."

Last year, the lowered speed limit was introduced to several areas including Jongno-gu, Seoul.

[Soundbite] SEO JEONG-SEOP(SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY) : "There is clear drop in the number of accidents and pedestrian injuries in this Jongno district after the trial operation of the lower speed limit."

The ten-kilometer drop helped reduced the risk of pedestrians sustaining serious injuries in car accidents by 20 percentage points. When the legal speed limit is 30 kilometers per hour, that risk is slashed down to 15 percent.

[Soundbite] DR.CHO EUN-KYUNG(KOREA TRANSPORTATION SAFETY AUTHORITY) : "A fall in speed leads to a substantial reduction in the braking distance. It greatly decreases the danger of crashes between people and vehicles."

In order to promote the changes, the Seoul metropolitan government plans to set up new speed signs across the city by the end of next year. Starting from 2021, the legal speed level will be lowered to 50 kilometers per hour in major roads across the nation and to 30 in alleys and back streets.