This file photo, taken on Nov. 27, 2020, shows a police officer conducting a breathalyzer test on a car driver in Seoul. (Yonhap)
In efforts to clamp down on repetitive drunk driving, South Korean police are looking at introducing automatic lock systems in cars owned by people with drunk driving track records.
"Police plan to launch a research project in cooperation with the traffic authority next month, focusing on the details and system for the automatic lock system," a police official told Yonhap News Agency.
The National Police Agency recently worked with Rep. Lim Ho-seon of the ruling Democratic Party to propose a revised bill that allows installing a system that detects alcohol and automatically bans a drunk motorist from driving.
The proposal mandates that certain DUI offenders get a special driver's license to only drive cars with the automatic lock system.
"Since there is a repetitive trend in DUI convictions, there is a limit in (preventing it) only through toughening punishment or crackdowns," Lim explained.
The police anticipate the National Assembly to pass the bill this year and launch a pilot program next year ahead of officially introducing the system in 2023.
The national Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission earlier advised the police to introduce the system, predicting that repetitive DUI offenses will fall as much as 90 percent. (Yonhap)
