Analysis of 149 Suspected Sudden Unintended Acceleration Cases
109 Attributed to Pedal Misapplication
It has been found that a significant number of drivers involved in suspected sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) traffic accidents in South Korea last year were elderly individuals aged 60 or older.
Gyeongsu-daero, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi Province. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
On January 19, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS) Automobile Safety Research Institute announced that, after analyzing 149 cases of accidents suspected to be caused by sudden unintended acceleration reported in the media last year, 109 cases were attributed to pedal misapplication. The remaining 40 cases are either still under investigation or the results have not yet been confirmed. To date, no cases of sudden unintended acceleration caused by vehicle defects have been identified.
By age group, those in their 60s accounted for the largest proportion at 36.2%. This was followed by those in their 70s (28.4%), 50s (14.2%), 80s (9.9%), 20s (5.7%), 40s (4.3%), and both the 30s and 90s age groups (0.7% each). The proportion of drivers aged 60 or older was 75.2%.
By gender, men accounted for 68.8% and women for 31.2%.
In terms of accident locations, arterial roads, which are major urban roads, accounted for the highest proportion at 40.3%. This was followed by apartment and residential complexes (29.5%) and local roads such as alleyways (24.8%).
Based on 144 cases where the driving status was confirmed, 69.4% occurred while the vehicle was stopped or moving at low speed (creep mode). The remainder occurred during normal driving.
Among the 120 cases where the type of fuel was identified, gasoline vehicles accounted for 39.2%, electric vehicles for 24.2%, and diesel vehicles for 15%. Compared to the total number of registered vehicles, accidents involving electric vehicles (which make up 3.4% of all vehicles) were relatively frequent.
Notably, during a three-month pilot project last year involving 141 drivers to test pedal misapplication prevention devices, there were 71 suspected cases of pedal misapplication. The authority stated, "Based on the achievement of completely preventing such incidents, we plan to continue expanding the installation project."
Jung Yongshik, President of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, said, "We will focus our efforts on developing technologies and improving systems to prevent pedal misapplication accidents, based on our experience in accident investigations."
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