On July 1, a car driven by a man in his 60s drove backward at City Hall Station. The accident resulted in nine deaths and seven injuries, totaling 16 casualties. The driver claimed during the police investigation that the cause of the accident was sudden acceleration, but there was no evidence to support it. Afterward, a series of sudden unintended acceleration accidents by elderly drivers were highlighted in the media.
A taxi driver in his 70s crashed into a vehicle in front of the National Medical Center emergency room on July 3, injuring two people. Over the July 6, a car driven by a man estimated to be in his 70s or 80s plowed into a sidewalk near Seoul Station, injuring two pedestrians. On July 7, a car driven by a driver in his 70s rear-ended four cars in Yongsan, wounding two people.
Moreover, three people were injured when a driver in his 70s hit five cars while driving backward across the central line in Suwon on July 9. On the same day, a driver in his 70s drove a car into a playground at an apartment complex in Busan. All of them claimed the cause was sudden acceleration.
According to the Korea Road Traffic Authority’s accident analysis system, the proportion of traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers aged 65 or older continues to increase. The proportion of accidents involving elderly drivers was 14.5% in 2019, rising to 15% in 2020, 15.7% in 2021, and 17.6% in 2022. Furthermore, last year, 39,614 of the total 198,296 traffic accidents were caused by elderly drivers, accounting for 20%.
The society responds by saying, “Older drivers should return licenses,” and “Older drivers’ cars should be able to drive autonomously.” Depending on societal reaction, the introduction of a ‘conditional license system’ that evaluates a driver’s driving ability and restricts them from driving at night or on highways if they do not meet the standards is expected.
There are many situations where it is difficult for accident recorders to prove the defects of all vehicles. There is a possibility that the accelerator pedal and the brake may be confused due to the difficulty of identifying the situation, especially for elderly drivers. Therefore, many believe the most accurate evidence would come from dashboard cameras installed on the pedals.
On July 9, an amendment to the MOTOR VEHICLE MANAGEMENT ACT, which includes the ‘mandatory installation of automobile pedal dashboard cameras,’ was proposed. The bill calls for automobile manufacturers and sellers to be required to install pedal dashboard cameras according to the standards prescribed by the Ordinance of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, such as the type of vehicle, use, and number of passengers, and to face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won if they violate it.
