Korea recorded the highest rate of death by road accidents in 2010 among 29 OECD member nations, according to the Korea Transport Institute.

At a seminar to promote better transportation and road safety on Friday, Seol Jae-hoon, a KTI official, said that 11.3 per 100,000 people died due to road accidents.

Greece and the U.S. came second and third as they marked 11.1 and 10.6, respectively.

Iceland recorded the lowest death rate with 2.5, followed by Sweden, 2.8, and the U.K., 3.1.

Car accidents overall in Korea have decreased from 294,000 in 2000 to 222,000 in 2011.

The official from the institute said even though the number of car accidents and death toll have decreased in recent years, the traffic system should be more focused on putting pedestrians and safety first.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)