Vacation Trip Gone 'Kwang'... Frequent Summer Rental Car Accidents Among 20s

One of Three Deaths in Their 20s
Inexperienced Driving Leads to Accidents
Experts Recommend Strengthening Rental Standards

#Last July, a driver in his 20s, Mr. A, who was intoxicated, crashed into a rock while driving along the coastal road in Aewol, Jeju Island. The accident resulted in the deaths of three passengers, and Mr. A along with three other passengers were seriously injured. Although the vehicle’s seating capacity was five, it was confirmed that there were two people in the front passenger seat and four in the back seat at the time of the accident.

Busy vehicles at a Jeju beach.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

It has been revealed that a large number of rental car accidents during the summer have occurred mainly among drivers in their 20s over the past five years. In particular, as cases of accidents caused by inexperienced driving by drivers in their 20s have surged, there are calls to strengthen rental car rental criteria.

According to the Korea Road Traffic Authority on the 11th, from 2019 over five years, rental car-related traffic accidents occurring in the summer months (July, August, September) totaled 12,650 cases, accounting for 25.5% of all accidents (49,702 cases). Accidents were concentrated among drivers in their 20s. Rental car traffic accidents caused by drivers in their 20s during the summer accounted for 28.9% (3,663 cases) of the total. This was followed by drivers in their 40s (2,630 cases) and 30s (2,323 cases) in terms of accident frequency.

The majority of fatalities from rental car accidents during the summer over the five years were also in their 20s. Among the total fatalities (107 people), those in their 20s accounted for 33.6% (36 people). This means that one out of every three fatalities was in their 20s.

Drunk driving accidents involving rental cars were also concentrated among drivers in their 20s. During the same period, there were 1,234 rental car drunk driving traffic accidents, of which 30.8% (380 cases) were committed by drivers in their 20s.

Currently, most companies specify “at least one year since obtaining a driver’s license” as a condition for renting a rental car. However, since there is no clear legal standard regarding the license acquisition period under the Road Traffic Act, it is known that a major rental car company is even considering removing the one-year condition.

Experts pointed out that inexperienced driving skills of drivers in their 20s lead to accidents and urged rental car companies to strengthen rental criteria. Professor Choi Jae-won of the Korea Road Traffic Authority said, “Generally, drivers are classified as beginners until two years after obtaining their driver’s license,” adding, “Rental conditions with a threshold lower than two years can pose significant safety risks.”

He also suggested that companies should conduct safety education to reduce accidents. Professor Choi explained, “Some rental car companies in Jeju Island have collaborated with the Korea Road Traffic Authority to provide online education to customers before renting vehicles,” and added, “To reduce the accident rate among inexperienced drivers in their 20s, it is necessary to combine mobile education campaigns and other measures.”