South Korean emergency vehicles involved in 1,073 accidents over five years

Data released by National Assembly member Lim Ho-seon reveals that 1,073 traffic accidents involving fire trucks and ambulances occurred across South Korea between 2021 and 2025. These incidents resulted in 2,151 casualties, including 957 firefighters and 1,197 civilians. Of the casualties, one firefighter and eight civilians lost their lives.

Geographically, Gyeonggi Province recorded the highest number of accidents with 328 cases, followed by Seoul with 175. Together, these two regions accounted for 46.9% of all reported accidents. The vast majority of accidents, 85.6%, took place on general roads rather than highways.

The primary cause of these accidents was driver inattention, accounting for 38.1% of cases. Other contributing factors included errors in judgment due to psychological factors, delayed detection due to environmental conditions, and vehicle handling errors. Lawmakers are calling for more precise, data-driven prevention measures that analyze specific accident locations, times, and intersection structures, rather than relying on general safety guidelines.