Andong-si, Full Effort in Traffic Administration to Prevent Elderly Traffic Accidents

Gift Certificates Provided to Elderly Drivers Who Voluntarily Return Their Licenses

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Koo Dae-seon] Andong City, Gyeongbuk Province, is providing Andong Love Gift Certificates worth 200,000 KRW to voluntary license returnees aged 65 and older residing in the area to prevent traffic accidents involving elderly drivers.

Andong City Hall.

As traffic accidents involving elderly drivers increase every year, according to the announcement by the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency, as of 2022, among 1,722,813 license holders in Gyeongbuk Province, elderly drivers numbered 285,290 (16.6%), making Gyeongbuk the province with the highest proportion of elderly drivers nationwide.

Additionally, 2,561 traffic accidents involving elderly drivers occurred last year, resulting in 110 deaths, ranking first in the number of elderly driver traffic accidents and fatalities at the provincial level.

In response, the city enacted the Elderly Driver Support Ordinance and has been implementing the voluntary license return program for elderly drivers since 2020. From August 2020, to promote the program, the city expanded the reception centers to include eup, myeon, and dong administrative welfare centers and simplified the procedures.

As a result, over the past three years, the city received license returns from 1,204 elderly drivers and issued Andong Love Gift Certificates. Notably, last year, a total of 450 people returned their licenses, and all eligible Andong Love Gift Certificates were distributed within the budget limits.

Furthermore, among the 95 pedestrian fatalities in the province in 2021, 65 (68%) were elderly, and the highest number of fatal accidents occurred during nighttime hours (6 PM to 8 PM). Therefore, the city plans to provide reflective vests and reflective canes to approximately 2,600 residents aged 75 and older living in eup and myeon areas to ensure nighttime walking safety for elderly residents in rural areas.

An Andong City official stated, “We will expand traffic accident prevention policies for elderly pedestrians and drivers, and focus administrative efforts on guaranteeing mobility rights and enhancing transportation welfare, such as expanding the Happy Taxi service, so that elderly drivers do not feel loss or deprivation due to license return.”