A car crash that left three members of a cycling team dead on Tuesday highlighted the danger of watching in-vehicle screens while driving, prompting lawmakers to take immediate action.
A 19-year-old cyclist and her two teammates were killed and four others injured when a speeding truck rammed into them on a national highway in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province.
The driver was watching a TV program through digital multimedia broadcasting, or DMB, while driving the 25-ton truck when it smashed into the vehicle escorting the riders from behind before smashing into the riders, according to police.
The seven victims, all members of the Sangju City cycling team, were training, heading from Sangju to Gumi.
The truck driver told police that he had swerved and hit the brakes to avoid hitting the riders. But police believe he stepped on the gas pedal instead as the truck dragged the escorting car and cyclists more than 100 meters after the crash.
The 65-year-old driver admitted his careless driving, but he might escape prison as there is still no mandatory punishment for watching DMB while driving.
Observers say the recent accident sets off an alarm bell and that it is time to take action against careless drivers.
Under the recently revised law, it is illegal to watch DMB while driving. However, lawmakers have yet to agree on issuing a penalty clause.
According to a nonlife insurance association data, watching DMB behind the wheel can be riskier than drunk driving.
A driver’s concentration drops by 30 percent when one drives with a blood alcohol level of 0.1, but watching DMB almost halves a driver’s concentration, a study said.
Police say DMB is emerging as a major force behind an increase in the number of car accidents.
The number of people using satellite DMB, including on mobile phones, topped 42 million in 2009, and 8.8 million of them were used in a vehicle, according to a recent data.
By Oh Kyu-wook (
596story@heraldcorp.com)
