A proposal has been made that policies ensuring mobility rights should be promoted alongside transportation convenience projects, such as 100-won taxis, linked to elderly drivers who voluntarily surrender their driver's licenses.
According to data submitted on the 18th by Kim In-jeong (The Democratic Party of Korea·Jindo), a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly, traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers in Jeonnam in 2023 totaled 2,159 cases, accounting for 26.1% of all traffic accidents.
Traffic accidents involving elderly drivers have been increasing annually, with 21.9% in 2021 and 22.8% in 2022.
Assemblyman Kim pointed out, "Jeonnam Province provided up to 500,000 won in subsidies and fare discounts at 258 businesses within the province to elderly drivers who voluntarily surrendered their licenses, but the surrender rate last year was only 1.8%. This is a 0.3 percentage point decrease compared to the 2.1% surrender rate in 2022."
He continued, "Despite offering various benefits, the low surrender rate is due to the poor public transportation conditions characteristic of Jeonnam, making mobility difficult the moment licenses are surrendered. To reduce accidents involving elderly drivers, policy support guaranteeing mobility rights must be implemented alongside incentives for voluntary license surrender."
In response, Yoo Ho-gyu, Director of the Construction and Transportation Bureau, said, "Although it cannot be applied to all areas within the province, we will consider support measures focusing on transportation-disadvantaged areas such as rural and fishing villages."
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