DEVICE PREVENTING CAR ACCIDENTS

[Anchor Lead]

It's not unusual for drivers to get involved in an accident at a car park while backing up their cars. Data shows that one out of seven insurance-covered accidents occur when drivers reverse to park their cars. A device is being used to prevent such accidents and tests have found that it's proving quite effective.

[Pkg]

A backover accident occurs at a parking space, as a pedestrian is struck by a reversing vehicle. An elderly person is hit by a slow, reversing car in a commercial district. Car accidents often occur while drivers pull in or back up to park their cars. Accidents at car parks account for 30 percent of the total accidents covered by insurance. More than half of the car park accidents involved reversing cars. Drivers exercise extra care when reversing their cars. But one of out of seven accidents occur while driving in reverse.

[Soundbite] PARK JIN-HO(KOREA INSURANCE DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE) : "Drivers sometimes have to park their cars in narrow spaces such as alleys. They often get involved in accidents while backing up their cars to park in a tight space."

This year, South Korea has introduced a device designed to prevent such accidents. It is an automatic brake system that stops a reversing car when an obstacle appears. However, the device is not perfect. The success rate stands at 77 percent, as the device properly functioned in 20 out of 26 tests. It failed to recognize a moving pedestrian. In the U.S., the number of accidents involving reversing cars has gone down by 62 percent since 2013 when the mechanism was introduced.

[Soundbite] KIM KWAN-HEE(KOREA INSURANCE DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE) : "In order to prevent such accidents at car parks, it is necessary to require drivers to equip their cars with the R-AEB device."

Europe will include the device in safety evaluations of new vehicles starting next year.