Drunk driving cases dropped 23 percent in Seoul in the month following the introduction of toughened regulations.

The revised traffic law, the Second Yoon Chang-ho Act, lowered the legal limit of drivers’ blood alcohol level and imposes stronger punishments for driving under the influence.

Yoon, an Army conscript and college student, was hit by a drunk driver in Busan in September last year. He suffered severe head injuries and died in November.

Yoon’s death led the National Assembly to pass the Yoon Chang-ho Act, through which offenders can face up to life imprisonment for a DUI that results in death and which imposes aggravated penalties for multiple offenders. 

Under the Second Yoon Chang-ho Act, the driver’s license is suspended if the offender’s blood alcohol level is 0.03 percent or higher and is revoked if the level is 0.08 percent or higher. Previously, the corresponding figures were 0.05 percent and 0.1 percent.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, 986 DUI cases were reported from June 25, when the Second Yoon Chang-ho Act took effect, through July 24.

The number was 23.3 percent down compared to 1,268 cases recorded in the previous one-month period.

Drunk driving in the early morning hours between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. declined 21.7 percent in the first month under the new law.

DUI accidents fell 30.9 percent to 123 cases in Seoul in the same period. The number of people injured in DUI accidents also dropped 35.3 percent to 187.

Drunk driving accidents have continued to decrease since the First Yoon Chang-ho Act went into effect on Dec. 18. According to the SMPA, DUI accidents between Dec. 18 and July 24 dropped 32 percent from a year prior. The number of deaths caused by DUI accidents also declined 46.7 percent in the same period.

Police also cracked down on drunk cycling in areas with high bike traffic such as the Hangang Park, and spotted 68 drunk cycling cases in June, which was more than double the monthly average in the first five months of this year.

“We plan to continue sobriety checks day and night until the general public is aware that even one drink can result in a DUI charge,” an SMPA official said, adding that police will also continue to publicize the lowered legal limit for drivers’ blood alcohol level.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)