■ Aiming to create social values such as preventing accidents and establishing a culture of eco-driving
■ Motorcycle accidents rose by 9.5% in 2018, pointing to the need for safety training
■ SK Lubricants, as an engine oil company, feels the need of taking social responsibility regarding increasing traffic accidents and air pollution problems

SK Lubricants (CEO Jee Dong-seob, www.sklubricants.com) and the Korea Road Traffic Authority have joined forces to promote safer roads and cleaner air.

SK Lubricants revealed on the 31st that it had signed an MoU with the Korea Road Traffic Authority in the SK Headquarters building, located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on “activities for public benefit on traffic safety,” such as safe and Eco-driving cultures.

The MoU symbolizes the initiative taken by the public organizations and private enterprises to prevent accidents through safety training programs and campaigns, reducing fuel consumption by supporting Eco-driving culture, and thereby decreasing CO2 emissions and creating social benefits and value.

SK Lubricants has explained the problem as follows: after earning a driver’s license, many drivers do not have any access to opportunities toward further safety training, which builds improper driving habits like hard acceleration and braking, idling engine, and such, which generate preventable CO2 and microdust emissions leading to air pollution.

The MoU will pave the way for the first project within this campaign, the ‘motorcycle safety training’, within this year. The rates of motocycle accidents in Korea recently has been increasing mostly because motorcycle riders’ awareness about safe driving is lower than car drivers’. Specifically, motorcycle riders often violate signals and speed limits, or drive without helmets. Especially the explosive growth of quick delivery services by motorcycles in Korea also implies an increasing need for motorcycle riders’ safety trainings.

According to the Korean National Police Agency, the number of traffic accidents in Korea during the year 2018 stood at 217,148, which represents a 0.4% decrease from 2017. However, the number of motorcycle accidents stood at 15,032, which represents a 9.5% increase from 2017.

A representative of the Korea Road Traffic Authority commented, “We expect this MoU and the subsequent safety training program for motorcycle riders will relieve drivers’ anxiety of traffic safety on the road, and thus reduce the rate of accidents involving motorcycles in Korea.”

With this MoU, SK Lubricants and the Korea Road Traffic Authority pledged to make efforts together in ▲improving and realizing new ideas for public welfare in traffic safety, ▲acquiring resources, and ▲measuring the results and establishing further plans.

Park Yong-min, Head of Lubricant Business Department of SK Lubricants commented, “We have decided to take actions with the Korea Road Traffic Authority through this MoU to take our responsibility as an engine oil sellers to prevent traffic accidents and reduce the microdust problem. We will continue to cooperate with the Korea Road Traffic Authority to create more social values.”

[Photos]

Photo 1) Park Yong-min, Head of Lubricant Business Department of SK Lubricants (right) and Park Gil-soo,  Head of Korea Road Traffic Authority’s Education Department (left) take photographs after signing the MoU atS K Headquarters building in Seoul

Photo 2) Park Yong-min, Head of Lubricant Business Department of SK Lubricants (left) and Park Gil-soo,  Head of Korea Road Traffic Authority’s Education Department (right) take photographs after signing the MoU atS K Headquarters building in Seoul