For drivers aged 70 and older and senior taxi drivers
Analyze sudden-acceleration suppression effects using driving data
Review phased expansion in cooperation with relevant agencies
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is launching a pilot project for a "pedal misapplication prevention device" to prevent sudden-acceleration traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers. The initiative aims to analyze the effectiveness of suppressing sudden acceleration based on actual driving data and to set the direction for future policy.
As of February 24, the city announced that the beneficiaries of this pilot project are drivers aged 70 or older who reside in Seoul, as well as taxi drivers aged 70 or older who are registered in Seoul. The device will be installed free of charge, in stages, on 200 of their vehicles.
The "pedal misapplication prevention device" is designed to suppress sudden-acceleration situations that occur when a driver mistakenly steps on the accelerator pedal. It limits sudden acceleration when the vehicle is stopped or traveling at low speeds of 15 km/h or less, and it is designed so that when certain conditions are met during driving, such as the engine speed rising to 4,500 revolutions per minute (4,500 rpm), the engine output is controlled.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government was selected in August last year as a first-round local government target area for the pedal misapplication prevention device pilot program and has since been pushing ahead with the 200-vehicle pilot project. However, only vehicles manufactured in 2010 or later are eligible for installation of the "pedal misapplication prevention device," and some vehicle types, such as cargo trucks of 1.5 tons or more and imported cars, are excluded.
Installation of the pedal misapplication prevention device will proceed sequentially after the participants are selected. Those selected must keep the device installed throughout the pilot period and cooperate by providing driving records for effectiveness analysis and by responding to surveys.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to work with the Korea Transportation Safety Authority to comprehensively analyze the effect of preventing pedal misapplication through digital driving-record analysis and user surveys, and to empirically verify the preventive effect. In addition, as this project is being carried out as part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s mobility regulatory sandbox demonstration-special-case program, the city will cooperate with relevant agencies in various ways, including establishing related standards and institutionalization.
Yeo Jangkwon, Director General of Transportation for the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, "This pilot project will be implemented in a field-oriented manner to substantially enhance the safety of elderly drivers," adding, "We will closely analyze its effectiveness through empirical data and continue to build a policy foundation for preventing traffic accidents involving the elderly."
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