Is South Korea ready for an era of ageing drivers?

SEOUL - The investigation into a deadly January traffic accident in central Seoul is sharpening attention on how South Korea regulates older drivers, amid mounting evidence that traffic fatalities involving seniors are rising faster than overall accidents.

Police are investigating a taxi driver in his late 70s for allegedly driving onto a pavement near Jonggak Station, one of Seoul’s busiest districts, during the evening rush hour on Jan 2. One pedestrian was killed, and 14 others were injured.

While the exact cause of the crash has yet to be determined as of Jan 8, the authorities have ruled out alcohol or drug use. Investigators are examining whether the accident involved pedal misapplication or age-related factors affecting driving ability.

The incident has revived public concern over elderly driver safety, recalling another fatal crash in July 2024 near Seoul’s City Hall Station, where a 69-year-old driver plowed onto a pavement, killing nine pedestrians.

As South Korea’s population ages,

the number of elderly drivers has increased rapidly.

According to data from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, traffic accidents involving drivers aged 65 and older rose from 31,072 in 2020 to 42,369 in 2024.

Their share of all traffic accidents increased from 14.8 per cent to 21.5 per cent over the same period.

While the rise partly reflects demographic change, accidents involving elderly drivers have consistently recorded the highest fatality rate among all age groups, remaining more than 40 per cent higher than that of the second-highest age group throughout the 2020–2024 period.

In 2024 alone, 761 people – about 30 per cent of all traffic fatalities – were killed in accidents caused by drivers aged 65 and older, exceeding their share of total accidents.

Calls for stronger safety measures have grown louder, with critics pointing to possible declines in reaction time and cognitive recognition among older drivers.

However, efforts to encourage voluntary licence returns have seen limited success.

Seoul offers transportation credits worth 200,000 won (S$176.90) to residents aged 70 and older who surrender their driver’s licences, while Incheon, Daegu and other regions provide similar incentives, including taxi vouchers.

Despite these efforts, the licence return rate among drivers aged 65 and older has remained just above 2 per cent since 2020, according to National Assembly data.

Analysts attribute the reluctance largely to continued economic activity among seniors and insufficient public income support.

South Korea’s income poverty rate for people aged 65 and older stood at 39.7 per cent in 2023, about double the OECD average.

A man surnamed Kang said his parents, who live in a rural area of Jeju Island, continue to drive in their eighties because a car is essential for daily life.

“They want to keep working to earn income and receive agricultural subsidies, and a vehicle is necessary not only to reach their farms but also to travel into town,” he said.

Jeju provides elderly residents with taxi subsidies of up to 168,000 won a year, but Mr Kang said the support is insufficient to meet their mobility needs.

Experts caution against blanket age limits, arguing instead for more targeted approaches.

“We can learn from Japan, which entered an ageing society earlier than (South) Korea,” said Professor Lee Ho-geun of automotive engineering at Daeduk University.

“Japan requires vehicles to be equipped with systems that prevent accidental acceleration instead of braking. (South) Korea should adopt similar measures, even if subsidies are needed.”

Prof Lee also proposed using the national health insurance system as a framework for health-based assessments of driving eligibility beyond age-based renewal tests.

“Given (South) Korea’s well-established national health insurance system, it could be used to more precisely assess individuals’ driving safety,” he added.

“Based on those assessments, authorities could consider introducing conditional licenses, such as allowing driving only during daytime hours or on certain roads.”

Currently, South Korea relies largely on periodic license renewal to assess driving eligibility, with mandatory cognitive screening applied only to drivers aged 75 and older every three years. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK