Bill to amend Construction Machinery Management Act introduced

'Will protect both construction vehicle movement and residents' safety'

Rep. Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party of Korea [provided by the lawmaker's office]
Rep. Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party of Korea [provided by the lawmaker's office]

Rep. Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party of Korea, who represents Seoul's Yangcheon-gap district and sits on the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, announced Monday that he had introduced a bill to amend the Construction Machinery Management Act to support the safe and smooth operation of construction vehicles on public roads.

The move comes as large-scale reconstruction and redevelopment projects have driven a sharp increase in heavy construction vehicles — including dump trucks — traveling through residential streets. Concerns have mounted over noise, vibration and dust pollution, as well as the risk of serious traffic accidents threatening pedestrians and ordinary motorists.

Collisions between construction vehicles and pedestrians totaled 2,170 over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, killing 347 people. The fatality rate stood at 16.0 deaths per 100 accidents — roughly six times the 2.66 recorded for passenger vehicles.

Under current law, Hwang noted, vehicles transporting hazardous materials or collecting designated waste are subject to location-tracking requirements. Construction machinery, however, lacks any legal basis for designating travel routes or monitoring vehicles in real time.

The bill would require the minister of land, infrastructure and transport to establish and operate a Construction Machinery Safety Management Center, and mandate that construction vehicles be fitted with onboard devices capable of GPS tracking and wireless communication, taking into account the type and weight of each machine. The ministry would be authorized to cover all or part of the cost of installing and operating the devices.

The bill would also allow local government heads or regional police commissioners to designate specific roads and operating hours for construction vehicles at each work site. If a vehicle strays from its designated route or enters a restricted zone, the safety management center would alert the driver and notify relevant authorities in real time.

"Because construction vehicle accidents are far more deadly than ordinary traffic accidents, the key is to proactively reduce risk during the operation phase rather than responding after the fact," Hwang said. "We will build a systematic traffic management system tailored to on-site conditions, so that large-scale reconstruction and redevelopment projects can proceed smoothly while keeping residents safe."


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