Elderly Drivers

[Anchor Lead]

A growing number of elderly drivers are willing to surrender their licenses recently, but their number is still not significant enough compared to the overall population of drivers of an advanced age. This also results in the rise of accidents.

[Pkg]

This man turned 80 this year. He holds a pristine record of zero accidents on the road in 30 years of driving experience. But these days, he doesn't feel as confident as he used to be.

[Soundbite] Kim Jun-ki(Seoul Resident) : "My judgment has become impaired due to aging. I can tell that when driving in the rain or at nighttime."

The number of traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers has been on the rise in Korea, as its population is aging rapidly. They now account for 22 percent of fatalities in car accidents.

[Soundbite] Prof. Lim Myung-chul(Road Traffic Authority) : "Elderly drivers have a slower reaction. Some of them have poor decision-making in times of emergency."

More and more elderly drivers are voluntarily surrendering their driver licenses. The number has surged by more than six-fold in just three years, surpassing ten thousand people last year. However, that's not enough given the overall number of elderly drivers in the nation, which currently stands at some three million people. Local governments are also stepping in to tackle the problem. The governments of Busan and Seoul cities are providing 100,000 won compensation to elderly drivers who give up their licenses.

[Soundbite] Park Si-young(Seoul Resident) : "I decided to surrender my driver's license because I have poor memory and it takes me longer to respond. It causes inconvenience to other drivers on the road."

However, some point out that the measure is unlikely to produce an immediate effect in curbing the number of traffic accidents. This is because most of the elderly who returned their licenses had not been driving for many years. Drivers of an advanced age need to understand that surrendering their licenses voluntarily due to deteriorating driving skills is important to ensure their own safety as well as the safety of those around them.