39% of pedal misoperation accidents involve drivers aged 60 and over

[Anchor]

An analysis of drivers involved in pedal misoperation accidents, where the accelerator pedal is pressed instead of the brake pedal, revealed that a higher proportion of them are elderly.

As the population ages, the number of elderly drivers is inevitably increasing, indicating that more careful attention is needed.

Reporter Hwang Hyun-kyu has the story.

[Report]

A red sedan that was stopped in a parking lot suddenly accelerated as it was about to depart, crashing into the underground area.

This vehicle, which was making a left turn, accelerated instead of slowing down in a curved section, swayed, and crossed the center line, causing an accident.

These accidents occurred because drivers mistook the accelerator pedal for the brake pedal.

According to Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, there have been about 10,000 reported pedal misoperation accidents over the past five years, averaging around 2,000 incidents per year.

Considering Samsung Fire's market share, the total number of accidents is estimated to exceed 5,000 each year.

Analysis of the accident drivers revealed a clear tendency for older individuals to be more frequently involved.

39% of pedal misoperation accidents were caused by drivers aged 60 and older.

This is higher than the 22% proportion of drivers aged 60 and above among all drivers.

While drivers aged 70 and older make up about 6% of the total, their share of pedal misoperation accidents is close to 15%.

[Park Yo-han/Senior Researcher, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Traffic Safety Culture Research Institute: "Due to the slower reaction times of elderly drivers, they may continue to perceive that they are pressing the brake and try to press harder..."]

To prevent such accidents, Japan has distributed devices to prevent pedal misoperation.

These devices work on the principle of suppressing acceleration when there are obstacles in front or behind, but in South Korea, this device is only installed in one type of vehicle.

The lack of attention from both the government and manufacturers is a significant reason for this.

[Jeong Mi-kyung/Principal Researcher, Korea Road Traffic Authority: "If research and development projects are planned or incentives are provided, manufacturers may actively participate."]

There are calls for proactive measures such as support for purchasing these devices or discounts on car insurance premiums when installed for elderly drivers.

This is Hwang Hyun-kyu from KBS News.