Female university student in her 20s fatally struck by truck driven by octogenarian on campus

"School's Prevention Was Inadequate" Criticism Continues
Calls for Measures on Elderly Driving Also Raised

A university student who was on campus to attend class was hit and killed by a campus garbage collection vehicle.

The appearance of the accident vehicle [Photo by Yonhap News broadcast screen]

According to the police on the 8th, A (21), a student enrolled at Dongduk Women's University, was hit by a garbage collection truck while climbing a hill on campus around 8:50 a.m. on the 5th.

A was taken to the hospital immediately after the accident but was declared brain dead and passed away at 7:20 p.m. on the 7th.

The police believe the accident occurred when the vehicle, driven by school janitor B (81), was reversing up the hill and then coming back down.

B stated, "I pressed the brake," but police investigations revealed there was no record of the brake being applied.

Students at Dongduk Women's University have pointed out that the accident was a safety issue that could have been sufficiently prevented, criticizing the school's inadequate response.

The hill where the accident occurred lacks a clear separation between the sidewalk and the roadway, and students have raised concerns about this problem for years, but the school did not address them.

Even after the accident, instead of relocating the garbage collection site, the school reportedly had janitors move the trash by handcart, which sparked public outrage.

The police are currently investigating the detailed circumstances of the accident through closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage around the accident site and the vehicle's black box.

The bereaved family has decided to donate the victim's organs in accordance with the student's wishes.

High Fatality Rate in Traffic Accidents Involving Elderly Drivers... Urgent Need for Countermeasures

[Photo by Pixabay]

Meanwhile, as this accident has been reported, some voices have emerged calling for measures to address the dangers of elderly drivers.

According to the 2021 traffic accident status report submitted by the Road Traffic Authority to the National Assembly Legislative Research Office in 2021, the number of accidents caused by elderly drivers aged 65 and over was 79.3 per 10,000 licensed drivers, which is higher than the overall average of 60.2 per 10,000 drivers.

Moreover, the fatality rate in traffic accidents involving elderly drivers is about twice the overall average.

Experts analyze that as people age, their reaction speed to dangerous situations slows down, increasing the likelihood of accidents.

In response, the government and local authorities have implemented a "Voluntary License Surrender System," which provides transportation subsidies to elderly drivers who voluntarily return their licenses.

However, due to reasons such as needing to drive for livelihood or inconvenience of using only public transportation, fewer than 3 out of 100 elderly drivers actually surrender their licenses.

Given that traffic accidents involving elderly drivers continue to occur under these circumstances, effective alternatives need to be established quickly.