One person died and 12 were injured after a sedan driven by a 75-year-old man sped toward a crowd at the entrance to Tongdosa Temple in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, on May 12, 2019. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent study has revealed that while the total number of car accidents fell, the number of car accidents each year in which senior drivers over 65 years old were responsible have drastically increased in proportion over the past four years.
Rep. Han Sun-kyo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party said on Monday that there were 30,000 car accidents caused by senior drivers last year, up 48 percent since 2014.
The number of fatalities in a car accident caused by senior drivers went from 763 to 843, while the number of injuries went from 29,420 to 43,469.
Car-to-car accidents were the most common form of accidents caused by senior drivers, with 22,504 cases last year, followed by car-to-person accidents (5,836 cases), driver-only accidents (1,671 cases), and railroad crashes (1 case).
The total number of car accidents last year, in contrast, fell to 217,148, down 2.9 percent since 2014. Total fatalities fell by 20.6 percent, and the total number of injuries also fell by 4.3 percent.
“Senior drivers are causing more car accidents than ever, but they are too weak and old to use public transportation. In rural regions where there are few or no public transportation options, it becomes even more difficult for senior drivers to return their driver’s license,” Han said.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
