[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Elderly drivers, who have relatively lower ability to respond to sudden situations, have recently been involved in a series of accidents where their vehicles suddenly rushed forward.
According to the police and fire authorities on the 2nd, on the morning of the 30th of last month in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, a vehicle driven by Mr. A (82) hit three motorcycles and one car before crashing into a hair salon.
As a result of the accident, a female customer in her 30s was trapped under the vehicle and died while being transported to the hospital. Additionally, one employee suffered a broken arm and was also taken to the hospital.
At the time of the accident, Mr. A was found not to be under the influence of alcohol. The police have booked Mr. A for violating the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling and are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident.
In Daejeon, on the afternoon of March 29, Mr. B (72) drove his passenger car into the main gate of Woam Historic Park in Dong-gu. Woam Historic Park is where the Joseon Dynasty Confucian scholar Woam Song Si-yeol (1607?1689) studied and trained disciples.
Mr. B crossed over the curb at the park’s main gate, hit a pillar behind it, and was propelled inside the gate. The pillar tilted, and the roof and tile structures of the gate could not bear the weight and collapsed instantly. Three people were injured in the accident, including two vehicle occupants and one pedestrian.
In January, in Singil-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, a passenger car driven by an octogenarian crashed into a restaurant. The sudden vehicle crash damaged the restaurant’s glass exterior wall, tables, and other fixtures, and two customers dining inside sustained minor injuries. The driver was also found not to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.
Meanwhile, the government and local authorities are implementing a voluntary license surrender system for elderly drivers. Seoul City is running a program that gives a transportation card worth about 100,000 won to citizens aged 70 and over who voluntarily surrender their driver’s licenses. Cheongju City has simplified the support procedures and expanded the eligibility, resulting in a roughly 165% increase in the license surrender rate among elderly drivers in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.
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