Korea Road Traffic Authority Study
Proposes Conditional Driver's Licenses and Other Measures
A new study has found that it would be advisable to lower the age standard for managing elderly driver licenses to 70. Currently, traffic authorities require drivers aged 75 and older to undergo cognitive screening tests and education every three years.
On December 21, Yonhap News reported that Lee Songyi, a researcher at the Korea Road Traffic Authority, and her team published the results of experiments on drivers' cognitive abilities by age group in the latest issue of the authority's "Traffic Safety Research." According to the study, driving-related cognitive abilities begin to decline noticeably starting at age 70.
The research team studied a total of 86 participants, including 61 elderly drivers aged 65 and older and 26 non-elderly drivers aged 64 and younger, between June and September of last year. Using a driving cognitive function testing device, they conducted stimulus response tests, situational awareness tests, and risk perception tests.
The results showed that from age 70, attention, memory, visual search ability, and situational perception ability declined compared to the non-elderly group. The decline was particularly pronounced among those aged 75 and older. The 65-69 age group did not show a statistically significant difference compared to the non-elderly group.
The situational awareness test also revealed clear differences. The accuracy rate for the non-elderly group reached 77.3%, while it was only 55.7% for the elderly group. The researchers explained that this indicates varying degrees of cognitive response decline among individuals within the elderly group.
On July 1, 2025, the first anniversary of the retrograde accident at City Hall Station, a staff member at the Seoul Autonomous Police Committee is seen organizing high-aged driver stickers. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
Based on these findings, the researchers suggested that the management standard should be gradually expanded to start at age 70. They also recommended replacing the current vision-focused aptitude tests with more scientific methods. As an alternative, they proposed introducing a "conditional driver's license" system. For example, driving could be permitted only within familiar local areas according to cognitive ability levels, or a license could be granted on the condition that a pedal misapplication prevention device is installed for those with low stimulus response scores.
Meanwhile, in the previous year, the proportion of traffic accidents caused by drivers aged 65 and older reached a record high of 21.6%. In response, the police announced plans to introduce a "conditional license system" in the second half of 2027, which would allow high-risk drivers, such as elderly individuals with diminished physical or cognitive abilities, to drive only under certain conditions. Installing pedal misapplication prevention devices is also being considered as one of the driving conditions. This comes amid urgent calls for measures to address a series of vehicle acceleration accidents involving elderly drivers.
Previously, the police distributed these devices to 141 drivers aged 65 and older for a pilot program, and confirmed that abnormal acceleration due to pedal misapplication was effectively prevented.
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