[Courtesy of Seoul City]
Government data showed that a total of 5,555 bicycle-related safety accidents took place between 2018 and 2020. 21.4 percent of the total accidents involved young cyclists aged between 10 and 19. Seoul's public bicycle rental service was used 23.7 million times in 2021, up 24 percent from a year ago. The increased number of public bike users was prompted by people choosing bicycles to travel short distances instead of using crowded public transport.
Seoul said in a statement on December 20 that the metaverse-based safety education platform was created in Roblox targeting young cyclists who favor using the capital city's public bike rental service known as "Ttareungi." "We will do our best to create a safe infrastructure for the safe use of Ttareungi," Cho Sung-il, the chief director of Seoul Facilities Corporation, was quoted as saying. Roblox is an online game platform where anyone can create games and enable other users to enjoy their platforms. The platform has some 43.2 million daily users.
The virtual safety education center called "Ttareungi Meta-World" will teach users how to ride their bicycles properly through simulated courses of crosswalks, intersections and curved roads. Users can access the service by searching "Seoul Bike" or "Ttareungi" in Roblox. Seoul has been operating Ttareungi also known as "Seoul Bike" since 2015. 40,500 Ttareungi bikes are in operation and about 5 percent of the total users were teenagers as of November 2021.
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