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Traffic in Korea can seem chaotic to the visitor. It's unnerving at first to watch cars drive
right through red traffic signals, but this is actually permitted by law if the intersection
or crosswalk is clear. Left turns are forbidden at many intersections; the drivers are
required to drive half way down the block, make a U-turn, and double back to turn
right instead! On the other side of the law, drivers ignore speed limits. In spite of harsh penalties, drunken driving is common. Motorscooter drivers ride through the crowded marketplaces, and park and ride on city sidewalks. Bus and taxi drivers show no mercy for other motorists who slow them down; they will tailgate, blow their horns, and cut off the hapless souls. (Then, moments later, they'll call out to them as if they were old friends.) At night, drivers inexplicably switch off their headlights when they stop at an intersection, then sometimes forget to turn them on again. As SUVs and vans become more popular, there is less room for parking. Double parking, parking on corners, and angle parking in parallel spots (as shown above) have become common. During rush hour even Kangnung, a relatively small city, has considerable traffic. Seoul's traffic is literally bumper to bumper, four lanes across, city street or expressway, at 7:30 am. A 2002 study showed that the average vehicle density in Seoul was a remarkable 13.1 per square km of roadway (Korea's national average is 0.92, and the US national average is 0.65). On holidays, when Confucian traditions require Koreans to return to their ancestral homes, traffic is much worse. Korea's motorways, clotted with vehicles, slow to a crawl. South Korea's vehicle ownership rate is expected to nearly double in the next 20 years. Where will they put them all?
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