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A truck driver who killed three South Korean professional cyclists in a road accident has admitted he was watching a television mounted on his dashboard at the time, police said Thursday.
Police found the TV switched on when they and other rescuers arrived Tuesday at the scene of the accident at Euiseong, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
The 66-year-old trucker surnamed Baek has been detained on suspicion of dangerous driving.
His truck rammed a van which was following the women cyclists with their coach inside and pushed it into the trio. They were killed on the spot and four other people were seriously injured.
"Although the law bans drivers from watching television while driving, there isn't any (specific) penalty when caught, so we can't do anything about it," a Euiseong police spokesman told AFP.
Offenders can however be charged with another road traffic offences if they cause an accident while watching the screen.
Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) TVs are not unusual in vehicles in tech-savvy South Korea. They are programmed to cut out when the vehicle is in motion but can be configured to stay on.
Some taxi drivers in Seoul install the televisions and glance at them while driving, apparently unhindered by police.
A total of 5,505 people were killed in 226,878 auto accidents in South Korea in 2010, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority said. (AFP)
<관련 한글 기사>
트럭 운전자, 앞 안보고 TV보다 그만...
1일 오전, 여자 사이클 선수단을 덮쳐 7명의 사상자를 낸 운전자가 DMB를 시청하다가 운전부주의로 사고를 낸 혐의를 인정했다고 경찰이 밝혔다.
사건 당일날 경북 의성군 단밀면 낙정리 25번 국도에서 25t 트라고 화물 트럭을 운전하던 백모씨 (66)는 스타렉스 승합차를 추돌한 뒤 사이클 선수단을 덮쳤다.
이 사고로 상주시청 여자 사이클 선수단의 박모(25), 이모(24), 정모(19)양 등 3 명이 숨지고, 김모(20)양 등 선수 3명이 다리ㆍ늑골 골절상을 입었다.
당시 사고 화물트럭 안에 DMB가 켜져 있었다.
선수단은 오는 5일 구미에서 열리는 경북도민체전 사이클 대회에 출전하기 위해 편도 2차로의 국도에서 훈련을 하다가 사고를 당했다.
상주시청 선수단은 지난해 아시아사이클선수권대회 단체 우승, 올해 3ㆍ1절 기념 도로사이클대회 단체 우승 등을 차지하는 등 국내 여자사이클 실업팀 중 최강이다.
경찰은 화물트럭 운전사 백씨에 대한 조사가 끝나는 대로 교통사고처리특례법 위 반 등 혐의로 구속영장을 신청할 방침이다.
