While 98% of some 200,000 preliminary notices for traffic violation fines sent to fire vehicles over the past five years or so have been waived, it has been found that even emergency dispatch vehicles must submit paperwork every time to prove their dispatch status in order to receive an exemption.

With the repetitive process of fire agencies submitting supporting materials such as dispatch logs and police deliberating them, critics point out that the dispatch systems of both sides should be linked to reduce administrative burdens.

According to data received from the National Fire Agency by Representative Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, preliminary notices of automated traffic enforcement fines for fire vehicles nationwide totaled 208,213 cases from 2021 to July of this year.

Among them, 204,612 cases (98.3%) were exempted.

The annual exemption rate also maintained the 98% range each year, standing between 98.1% and 98.5%.

Currently, when a fire vehicle is caught by automated enforcement, the police issue a preliminary notice of fine imposition, and the fire station must submit dispatch logs, a copy of the driver's license, and a statement of opinion to explain the emergency dispatch.

Subsequently, the police deliberate on whether it was an emergency dispatch through the Fine Exemption Deliberation Committee and decide on the exemption.

The annual number of preliminary notices has increased every year, rising from 20,949 cases in 2021 to 32,251 cases in 2022, 36,447 cases in 2023, 40,455 cases in 2024, and 47,241 cases last year.

This represents approximately a 2.3-fold increase in four years.

Even by July of this year, 30,870 cases were notified, already surpassing the total annual notices for 2021.

By vehicle type, ambulances accounted for 142,638 cases, or 68.5% of the total.

Other vehicles followed with 28,896 cases (13.9%), pumper trucks with 22,313 cases (10.7%), and rescue vehicles with 14,366 cases (6.9%).

By type of violation, speeding was the most common with 115,842 cases (55.6%), followed by signal violations with 90,102 cases (43.3%), and other violations with 2,269 cases (1.1%).

According to the Korean National Police Agency, fine exemption deliberation committees at police stations nationwide held a total of 19,448 sessions during the same period.

Representative Hwang Hee stated, "It is an unnecessary administrative procedure to first issue traffic fine notices that will be waived more than 98% of the time to firefighters dispatched to save lives, and to require them to explain themselves every time," adding, "We must first reduce unnecessary paperwork so that field personnel can concentrate on rescue and emergency medical duties."

He further emphasized that the dispatch systems of the fire and police authorities should be linked to streamline the explanation procedure for vehicles whose emergency dispatch status is confirmed, while strictly holding drivers accountable for traffic law violations committed during non-emergency operations.

(Photo: Yonhap News)