Slippery Road Due To Ice Causes 105 Vehicles To Accident, 17 People Injured

JAKARTA - At least 105 vehicles were damaged and 17 people were injured in traffic accidents in a number of separate locations in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea Tuesday, according to police and firefighters.

The traffic accident was caused by dark ice, a thin, nearly invisible ice sheet formed due to freezing temperatures and snowfall at night.

The accident occurred between 5 am and 7 am local time on Jalan Raya Seoul-Munsan and Jayu-ro in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, quoted from The Korea Times January 14.

At around 5:15 a.m., 44 vehicles, including trucks, buses, and cars, were involved in a series of collisions near the Gusan Interchange on the Jayu-ro route to Paju.

The North Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters categorized the accident as four six vehicles, one three car accident, six two cars in a row and five one vehicle accidents.

Most of the drivers suffered minor abrasions, although a truck driver weighing 16 tons was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

At around 5:50 am, another successive car accident involving 43 vehicles occurred near the Goyang intersection on the track to Munsan on the Seoul-Munsan Highway in Deokyang District, Goyang.

After the accident, several roads were closed for cleaning, causing traffic jams along up to three kilometers near the Goyang rest stop, to the accident site.

At around 6:40 am, 18 vehicles collided near the Heungdo Intersection on the Seoul-Munsan Highway, which was located after the rest stop.

This accident resulted in one serious injury, while another 14 people were taken to the nearest hospital with minor injuries.

After the two accidents, a long traffic jam occurred on Jalan Raya Seoul-Munsan, with traffic on the route to Munsan jammed throughout the morning.

Traffic accidents that may have been caused by slippery road conditions were also reported in Ansan, Hwaseong, and Suwon in southern Gyeonggi Province on the same day, according to police and firefighters.

A driver involved in an accident in Ansan received treatment at the hospital due to a neck injury after a car accident.

Local officials attributed the incident to black ice, which forms when snow or rain freezes on the surface of the road.

This ice usually appears black when mixed with exhausts and dust, causing significant harm to the driver.

"The slippery condition makes it difficult for vehicles to keep their distance safe, which resulted in a series of collisions," said a police officer.

Authorities appealed to drivers to reduce speed and be careful when driving on slippery roads.