"Half of Safety Accidents on Buses Involve Seniors Aged 60 and Over"

Analysis of Bus Hazard Cases by Korea Consumer Agency
219 out of 428 Cases Involve People Aged 60 and Over
"Drivers' Risky Driving Behavior Must Be Reduced"

More than half of the victims who suffered safety accidents on buses due to dangerous driving or lack of safety awareness by drivers were elderly people in their 60s, according to a survey by the Korea Consumer Agency. The agency advised, "To prevent safety accidents on buses, it is necessary to improve some drivers' driving habits and passengers' careless usage behaviors."

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 18th that an analysis of 428 bus-related hazard cases reported to the Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS) over the past five years from 2019 to November last year showed that 219 cases (51.0%) involved elderly people aged 60 or older. The number of bus-related CISS reports has shown an increasing trend for three consecutive years, rising from 41 cases in 2021 to 97 cases in 2022, and 106 cases up to November last year.

By cause of hazard, slipping and falling accounted for the largest number with 282 cases (69.5%). This was followed by collisions with 61 cases (14.3%) and being pressed or caught with 58 cases (13.6%). The agency stated, "Sudden speed changes such as rapid acceleration and deceleration during bus operation can be difficult for elderly passengers to respond to appropriately," and emphasized that "bus drivers need to exercise special caution."

In fact, the Korea Consumer Agency investigated dangerous driving behaviors using GPS devices on 11 city bus routes (23 buses) and 14 village bus routes (28 buses), confirming an average of 62.6 dangerous driving behaviors per 100 km. Dangerous driving behaviors per route were 50.4 times per 100 km for city buses and 88 times for village buses. Notably, among the 51 buses on 25 routes surveyed, some bus drivers opened the boarding and alighting doors before coming to a complete stop at the bus stop or even departed with the doors open.

The Korea Consumer Agency pointed out that to prevent safety accidents on buses, it is also necessary to improve some passengers' careless usage patterns. Most passengers on the 51 buses surveyed caused accidents by moving toward the exit door in advance to prepare for getting off while the bus was in motion. A representative from the agency said, "Due to the traffic culture of preparing to get off in advance and feelings of guilt that delaying their own alighting could inconvenience others, many passengers stood up from their seats or let go of handrails and moved even while the bus was running."

Based on the results of this survey, the Korea Consumer Agency recommended that the Korea Bus Transport Association and the Korea Village Bus Transport Association strengthen safety education for drivers and enhance the provision of safety rule information. Additionally, it proposed sharing the survey results with relevant government departments and reviewing measures to establish a traffic culture that discourages moving inside the bus while it is in motion.