New Motorcycle Laws

I saw (via ROK Drop) a few days that new rules related to motorcycle usage in Korea are being introduced this year. They are;

1. motorcycles with an engine capacity of less than 50 cc are now required to display a license plate, and
2. have insurance.

Apparently, if riders violate this law, they will be fined 500,000 won.

Wow, that's a load of cash when compared to how much motorcycles actually cost to buy here.

Now I'm sure placing a license plate on all bikes will enable better identification and generate revenue for various government agencies, but I seriously doubt that these new laws will affect the mind-set of most motorcycle riders.

Most people in Korea will recognize that it's not the legislation (or lack of) which causes so many deaths on Korean roads. No, they are many reasons why so many people die on the roads in Korea, and one of the major causes is non enforcement of traffic laws.

I've ridden in Korea for nearly 4 years and I've probably chalked-up close to 20,000 km during that time. I couldn't possibly begin to recall the number of times of seen riders blatantly break traffic laws right in front of police officers, without any far of the consequences. I myself rode a bike for 3 years without a license plate attached and I only had my bike insured for the first 12 months.

Once I was actually stopped by a policeman who saw that I didn't have a plate. He simply told me to go to City Hall and away I went. No fines, no dramas. On another occasion, I was caught running a red light. Again, I simply apologized and I was free to go. Did I learn anything? Yes, I learned that if I break the law and apologize, then the odds are I won't get into any trouble.

For countless other example, where I live, rural Wonju, I see farmers and students riding unregistered bikes everyday and the local police officers always turn a blind eye.

So sure, make better laws. But until they are actually enforced, they are useless.