For kids, journey home from school far deadlier than morning commute

Children may leave school with a spring in their steps when the final bell rings, but the journey home could be the most dangerous part of their day, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the state-run transportation agency.

Small groups of first- through third-graders streamed out of an elementary school in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, at around 2 p.m. Monday. Few adults, however, waited outside to guide them through the afternoon traffic.

During the morning arrival rush, the street had been closed to traffic. By afternoon, however, cars had returned, and groups of children were left to cross the road without traffic signals.

Fatal traffic accidents involving children over the past five years were concentrated during after-school hours, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority said.

A total of 80 children aged 12 or younger died in traffic accidents between 2021 and last year, according to the transportation authority on Tuesday. Pedestrians accounted for 47 of those deaths, or 58.75 percent. More children were killed as pedestrians than while riding a bicycle or traveling in a vehicle. 

Among the 47 children killed as pedestrians, 12 died between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and another 13 between 4 and 6 p.m.

If combined, 25 of the 47 pedestrian deaths, or 53.19 percent, occurred between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., when children were leaving school or making their way home.

The contrast with the morning commute was particularly stark.

Over the five years, four children died in traffic accidents between 8 and 10 a.m., the main hours for arriving at school.

However, five deaths occurred between noon and 2 p.m., when younger students typically leave school, and 12 between 2 and 4 p.m., when many older students head home.

The 17 deaths during the main dismissal hours were more than four times the four deaths recorded during the morning commute. When the 13 deaths between 4 and 6 p.m., after many children finish after-school programs, were included, the gap widened to more than sixfold.

Fatal accidents in school zones have fallen substantially. The government introduced school zones in 1995 to prevent traffic accidents involving children. The zones generally cover roads within 300 meters (984 feet) of a school's main entrance and impose a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour (18.6 miles per hour).

Ten children died in traffic accidents within school zones between 2021 and 2025, down sharply from 28 during the previous five-year period from 2016 to 2020.

But even within school zones, seven of the 10 deaths, or 70 percent, occurred between 2 and 6 p.m.

“Traffic safety patrols by parent volunteers and seniors in public employment programs tend to focus on the morning commute,” Min Woo-keun, a researcher at the transportation authority, said. “After school, children are dismissed at different times by grade, while fewer people tend to be stationed outside to guide them through traffic.”

Accidents have also become more frequent as private academy vehicles crowd the streets outside schools after classes. The risks grow further once children venture beyond school zones, where fewer safeguards exist to protect them on their way home.

The most common cause of fatal pedestrian accidents involving children was drivers' failure to exercise due care, which accounted for 25 of the 47 deaths, or 53.2 percent. The category covers unsafe driving, which is not defined under more specific violations, but includes actions such as crossing the center line, running a red light or following too closely. Examples range from failing to watch the road closely to speeding and drowsy driving, according to the transportation authority.

Nine-year-olds, who are typically in third grade, were the most vulnerable age group, with 11 pedestrian deaths over the five year period. Five children each were killed at the ages of 6, 11 and 12, while four each were killed at the ages of 7 and 10.

Fridays saw the most traffic accidents involving children, as well as the most injuries.

As children return to school for the second semester, authorities called on drivers to exercise extra caution on the roads.

“Drivers should make it a habit to slow down in school zones, come to a complete stop at crosswalks and crossings and never pass a school or academy bus while children are getting on or off,” said Jeong Yong-sik, president of the transportation authority. “Parents and guardians should also regularly remind children to look both ways before crossing a road or crosswalk and not to use their phones while walking.”

BY BAEK MIN-JUNG [[email protected]]