``Lee had to be more observant to prevent the collision but failed to see Cho, and this made the accident more serious. She is 50 percent responsible for the injury,'' [the Seoul court] said, ordering Cho to pay 84 million won in compensation.
That same approach to accidents also applies to drivers in South Korea.
Korea handles automobile accidents according to an odd “blame-sharing” concept whereby both parties are always deemed to have some fault in the accident. The usual apportionment is 60-40. What this means is that the driver who caused the accident bears 60% of the responsibility (and therefore cost), and the driver who simply got crashed into gets stuck with 40% of the responsibility on some cockamamie theory that had he not been operating a motor vehicle he would not have gotten into the accident. So the 60% driver pays 60% of the damages incurred by the driver he struck, but receives from the driver he struck an offsetting payment of 40% of the 60% driver’s damages.
All the more reason not to get behind the wheel here. That and the "you'll probably get killed" thing.
12 comments:
84 million for a broken leg????! I'll break 2 for that!
Gwangju--yeah, but with the exchange rate today, that comes to about 20 bucks a leg.
I drive in Korea every day, and it's nowhere near as scary as most non-driving foreigners make it out to be. My theory on this is that most of the on-the-road experience foreigners have here is in buses and taxis - the two worst offenders when it comes to bad driving. Driving in Korea isn't much different from driving anywhere else. Sure, people drive faster and closer, but it's not a world away from what I'm used to in the UK.
In 6 months driving here, I've only had one minor scrape - taxi driver reversed into me, it was handled impeccably by the police and I had 100% of the damage cost within a week. No 60/40 bullshit, no racist cops, no horror stories. Don't believe the hype.
Rich, come back to us when you've had more than a fender bender.
Two friends of mine, in two separate accidents) have not been so lucky and they were not treated as nicely as you were.
Brian, isn't what you're criticizing very similar to the "no-fault" system that many U.S. states and Canadian provinces use? That is, aside from extreme cases, your insurance company covers your losses, and you can't recover against other drivers.
Would you say that this is "all the more reason not to get behind the wheel" in a no-fault state?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-fault_insurance
Sure, but in cases like that the person who was just sitting at a red light doesn't pay for anything. This is a broad generalization, but a foreigner who gets a license and a car in Korea will likely be more "careful" in the Western sense as it applies to driving. I mean, stopping at red lights and stop signs, slower going through intersections. Yet this type of driving will get you hit in Korea as other drivers aren't used to it. Hell, they put on their hazard lights when they're slowing down or coming to a stop at a light. So chances are an inexperienced foreign driver will find him- or herself on the losing end of some accidents like this. Who knows, considering how the police generally react to foreigners, s/he might get stuck footing a higher percentage of the bill than is fair.
What's up with drivers driving without their lights on, or only their, parking lights at night?
John from Daejeon
ROK Hound - I don't doubt what you're saying, but big accidents are an unpleasant experience anywhere in the world. Like many things involving Korean authorities, I'd wager it depends on where you are. I dealt with the main Yongsan police department, who are no doubt used to dealing with foreigners on a daily basis. If you live in Bumfuck-myeon in Nowherebuk-do, your experience will be different, and probably much more unpleasant. Another little reason to avoid living in the sticks, AFAIK.
Skiing in Korea isn't that bad. It's crowded, but there aren't many people going fast. It's similar to ice skating.
As a former Ski Patrol in Canada, when asked why I don't ski in Korea, I have replied (for 15+ years no): "Ski? In Korea? Are you nuts? Have you seen the way people drive?" Thanks for the support of that opinion.
I knew one doctor (specialising in sports injuries), way back in the old days of private lessons, who told me, "Skiing has made me a very rich man."
Boarding here sucks, at least at Yongpyong. I'm from British Columbia and our hills get crowded too, but here there seems to be no concept of taking turns, or getting out of the way for the next people once your run is done. You end up making yourself fall to avoid crashing into the crowds of people milling around or taking photos of each other. People just stare at you blankly as you come towards them. And the giant big screen tv smack at the bottom doesn't help move things along. Still, I wish Yongpyong had won the bid for the 2010 Winter olympics instead of Whistler, what a nightmare.
In regards to two of the cases cited in the article, I'd support the verdict in both based on the details provided. The other case (which you have cited) doesn't really provide enough detail for a snap judgement...
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