Overnight Chuseok crashes kill four times more drivers than daytime accidents

Analysis of traffic incidents during the Chuseok holidays from 2021 to 2025 reveals that crashes occurring between midnight and 6 a.m. were the deadliest, with 50 deaths out of 1,125 accidents - a fatality rate of 4.4 per 100 crashes. This period accounted for just 9.8% of the total 11,510 accidents but produced a death rate about four times higher than the peak afternoon window, which saw 51 deaths from 4,607 crashes (1.1 per 100).

The morning-to-noon slot ranked second in fatality rate at 1.5 per 100. Representative Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party of Korea attributed the heightened risk to driver fatigue and excessive speed, calling for greater use of highway rest areas and more roadside reminders to slow down. The holidays are expected to draw an average of 6.05 million vehicles daily on expressways, with traffic out of Seoul peaking Thursday morning and inbound congestion Friday afternoon. Accident frequency was highest on the first day of the break each year.