Aging Behind the Wheel: Korea Struggles to Address Elderly Driving Risks (Image supported by ChatGPT)
SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean authorities plan to expand a safety program for elderly drivers after new data showed more than 70 suspected pedal-misapplication incidents over a three-month period — all prevented by recently installed safety devices.
According to the National Police Agency on Sunday, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority analyzed pedal-misoperation prevention devices installed in 141 elderly drivers’ vehicles between July and September.
The devices recorded 71 cases of abnormal acceleration that fit the definition of likely pedal confusion: either pressing the accelerator more than 80 percent at speeds under 15 km/h or sudden surges reaching 4,500 rpm.
All potential accidents were prevented because the devices automatically intervened during sudden acceleration at low speeds, the agency said.
The 141 participants were part of the government’s first pilot program, jointly run by the police, the General Insurance Association of Korea and the transportation authority.
Citing the clear preventive effects, officials said they will begin recruiting 730 additional elderly drivers in seven major cities, including Seoul, starting Dec. 1.
Sudden-Acceleration Risks Spur Expansion of Elderly Driver Safety Program in Korea (Yonhap)
Applications must be submitted with a driver’s license and vehicle registration by Dec. 19, either by mail or in person at a regional office of the transportation authority.
Pedal-misapplication accidents involving older drivers have become a growing public concern. Police concluded that a 67-year-old driver mistakenly accelerated in a Nov. 13 crash at Bucheon’s Jeil Market that killed four people and injured 18.
In another recent case in Incheon, a man in his 70s drove onto a sidewalk, seriously injuring a woman and her two-year-old daughter; investigators also suspect pedal misuse.
Elderly drivers make up a rising share of license holders nationwide: 14.9 percent in Seoul, 16.6 percent in Busan and more than 13 percent in most major cities — a figure expected to grow as the population ages.
The government already plans to require all new passenger cars and small trucks to adopt pedal-misoperation prevention technology from 2029.
“This program demonstrates powerful potential to prevent sudden-acceleration crashes,” said Yoo Jae-sung, acting commissioner of the National Police Agency. Korea Transportation Safety Authority President Jung Yong-sik added that the agency will continue expanding support and push toward mandatory adoption of the devices.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
