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Laws › Road Traffic Act › CHAPTER III WAYS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES AND HORSES TO PASS THROUGH ROADWAYS

Road Traffic Act — Article 19 (Maintaining of safe distance)

도로교통법 제19조

This English translation is based on the Korean text effective 2025-07-22. The Korean law has since been amended (current version effective 2026-07-01) — check the Korean original.

(1) When a motor vehicle is traveling behind any other motor vehicle traveling in the same direction, a driver of any motor vehicle shall maintain a distance necessary to avoid any collision with the motor vehicle traveling ahead of it when the latter stops suddenly.

(2) A driver of a motor vehicle, etc. shall take care of a rider of a bicycle, etc. going in the same direction and shall assure a necessary distance to avoid collision with such bicycle, etc. when he or she passes by it. <Amended on Aug. 11, 2015; Jun. 9, 2020>

(3) No driver of any motor vehicle shall change course when it is likely to impede normal traffic of other motor vehicles running in the direction to which he or she intends to change his or her route.

(4) No driver of any motor vehicle shall apply the brake in order to abruptly stop the motor vehicle or reduce the speed of the motor vehicle, except where he or she intends to prevent any danger and on the grounds of inevitability.[This Article Wholly Amended on Jun. 8, 2011]

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