South Korea asks older drivers to give up their licences

SEOUL – Regional governments across South Korea have been expanding benefits for senior citizens who relinquish their driving privileges, as the number of car accidents across the country involving older drivers has been on the rise.

Jisan-gun in Busan said earlier in February that it has implemented a policy of giving 100,000 won (S$100) in gift certificates to be used in traditional markets for anyone aged 65 and above who gives up his driving licence.

The district became the first to introduce benefits for older drivers forfeiting their licences in South Korea’s second most-populated city.

Miryang City in South Gyeongsang province has been giving out 100,000 won gift certificates for drivers aged 70 and above who give up their licences, but decided in 2024 to increase the benefits to 200,000 won gift certificates.

Paju in Gyeonggi province and Hoengseong-gun in Gangwon province also upped their incentive policies, giving out 300,000 won gift certificates instead of the previous value of 100,000 won.

South Korea has been looking to motivate more senior citizens to give up their driving licences, in the light of a consistent increase in the number of traffic accidents involving elderly drivers.

The Road Traffic Authority in October 2023 said the number of traffic accidents involving drivers aged 65 and above increased every year from 31,072 in 2020 to 34,652 in 2022.

This marked a contrast to the number of overall traffic accidents, which decreased each year from 209,654 in 2020 to 196,836 in 2022.

In a bid to address the issue, the government in 2023 announced a plan to implement a conditional driving licence for drivers aged 65 and above, which will include restrictions such as driving on the highway, driving at night time, installing extra safety features on cars, and prohibiting elderly drivers from exceeding a certain speed.

The National Police Agency (NPA) is conducting a related study on these policies in 2024 and aims to introduce the restrictions by 2025.

Despite the government advising older drivers not to drive any more, not many people have chosen to give up their licences.

NPA data shows that of the 4.38 million people aged 65 and above licenced to drive in 2022, only 2.6 per cent gave up their licences.

Each year, around 2 per cent return their licences, with the overwhelming majority refusing to do so.

A survey in 2023 by the Road Traffic Authority on drivers in that age group showed that only 31.7 per cent of them are considering giving up their licences.

In a February survey by car insurance company Axa Direct that polled 1,400 South Korean drivers, only 22.9 per cent said they are willing to give up their licences when they reach the age of 65. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK