In the Seoul Transportation Corporation's subway accident status for the past five years, the time of occurrence is recorded in minutes. When we break this data down by time of day and day of the week, it becomes clear that incidents are clustered around certain times of the day and days of the week. This article rearranges the occurrence time and date of 2,837 cases to show when more attention is needed.
Nearly half of the accidents in a day occur within six hours.
If we group the six hours a day, such as 7 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m., into commuting hours, the number of accidents that occurred in this section is 1,362, accounting for 48.0% of the total. This means that nearly half of all accidents occur in just one quarter of the 24 hours a day.
Looking at a single time zone, 8 o'clock has the most cases with 374 cases (13.2%), followed by 319 cases at 18 o'clock, 213 cases at 17 o'clock, and 210 cases at 16 o'clock. On the other hand, between 1 and 4 a.m., the number of cases ranges from one digit to about a dozen each, with very large differences by time zone.
On the way to work, 8 o'clock is the most dangerous hour
8 o'clock is the single time with the most accidents among all time zones. By type, the highest number of accidents occurred at 8 o'clock, with 66, showing that accidents that occur while rushing to get on the platform on the way to work tend to be concentrated around this time.
There were 103 door-related accidents reported at 8:00, making it the second most common time after 18:00. In other words, 8 o'clock can be seen as the time of day when you need to be most careful, as both footfalls and door-related accidents occur at the same time.
On the way home from work, 18:00 is a slightly different type of crowd.
18:00 is the second-highest time period after 8:00 with a total of 319 accidents. However, by type, the time of the day with the highest number of door-related accidents is 18:00, with 122 cases. The proportion of door-related accidents is more noticeable than that of missing steps (59 cases).
Accidents gradually increase throughout the afternoon period from 17:00 (92 cases), 16:00 (81 cases), and 15:00 (75 cases), and peak at 18:00. This means that accidents already begin to increase around 3 p.m., when crowds of people leaving work begin to gather.
In terms of days of the week, Friday has the most and Sunday has the least.
By day of the week, Friday has the highest number of cases at 487, followed by Thursday with 465, Tuesday with 456, Wednesday with 454, and Monday with 408, with all weekdays being evenly high. On the other hand, there were 372 cases on Saturday and 195 cases on Sunday, which are clearly lower than on weekdays.
The fact that Friday is the highest among weekdays is in line with the fact that it coincides with the last commuting day of the week and increased travel due to evening appointments and meetings. Conversely, Sunday's average is less than half of the weekday average, showing that the deviation by day of the week is as large as the deviation by time zone.
If we look at the overall flow over the past 5 years,
The number of cases by year steadily increased to 395 cases in 2021, 480 cases in 2022, 587 cases in 2023, and 716 cases in 2024, before slightly decreasing to 659 cases in 2025 (as of December 30). However, this data does not tell us whether the accidents themselves have increased or whether the method of reporting and recording has changed.
Therefore, rather than interpreting the increase or decrease by year as a change in safety level, it is appropriate to treat it as reference material along with the issue of number of users explained later.
Just because the number is bigger doesn't mean the time is more dangerous.
The reason there are many accidents at 8:00 and 18:00 is because the most people use the subway during those times. Since this data is an absolute number of cases rather than a ratio divided by the number of users by time period, it cannot be concluded that the risk per user was greater at that time.
However, a large number of absolute cases also means that there are more accident situations actually encountered during that time period. Regardless of the statistical risk, it is still worth noting that it is a time period when you are actually likely to encounter it.
How to use time zone and day of the week data
During rush hour, especially 8:00 and 18:00, and on weekdays, especially on Fridays, it is helpful to pay a little more attention to both footfall and door-related accidents. Conversely, even during times when there are fewer accidents, such as late at night or on Sundays, it is safe to maintain individual caution.
The correct approach is not to use this data as a guideline to avoid certain times, but to use it as a reference to show that accidents occur during the times when subways are most used.
- At 8:00 and 18:00, check the space between your feet and the door once more.
- Allow more leisure time than usual during work hours on Fridays.
- Keep in mind that accidents gradually increase after 3 p.m.
- Considering that statistics are absolute numbers of cases, understand that there is no need to avoid certain times excessively.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the most common time for subway accidents?
Based on a single time zone, 8 o'clock has the most cases with 374, followed by 18 o'clock with 319 cases. The rush hour, which combines 7-9 a.m. and 5-7 p.m., accounts for 48.0% of all accidents.
Is there a difference depending on the day of the week?
Friday has the most cases with 487, and Sunday has the least with 195. Weekdays overall tend to be noticeably higher than weekends.
Does this mean that times with more accidents are more dangerous?
This data is an absolute number, not a ratio divided by the number of users. Since the times when most accidents occur are also the times when there are many users, it cannot be concluded that the risk per person has increased.
Check Official Information Before You Go
Operating hours, fares, exits, and facility information may change. Check the official information and station signs below before travelling.