In Korea, there is only one vehicle equipped with this device… Japan’s new vehicles reach 90%
It was found that one out of four accidents due to incorrect operation of the car pedal was caused by drivers aged 65 or older.
Voices are growing that a system should be established to distribute pedal misoperation prevention devices to elderly drivers first.
TV Chosun Capture
Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance’s Traffic Safety Culture Research Institute analyzed automobile accidents involving vehicles subscribed to the company’s automobile insurance that occurred from 2019 to June of this year. As a result, a total of 11,042 accidents related to pedal malfunction occurred, with an average of 2,008 a year (167 a month). It was announced on the 16th that it was found that it does.
Pedal misoperation accidents occur in situations where the accelerator and deceleration pedals are pressed alternately, such as when the driver presses the accelerator pedal while trying to apply the brakes or suddenly accelerates while parking.
In particular, 48.0% of all pedal misoperation accidents occurred while parking, reversing, or exiting the parking area.
Accidents caused by pressing the accelerator pedal while trying to apply the brakes while driving on the road or turning left or right at an intersection against the driver’s intention also accounted for 30.1%.
In 21.9% of cases, accidents occurred due to incorrect operation while slowing down or stopping due to traffic signals during traffic congestion.
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By age, the rate of pedal misoperation accidents increased sharply from the age of 61 or older.
39.1% of all pedal misoperation accidents were among drivers over 61 years of age, and in particular, there were 2,718 pedal misoperation accidents involving drivers over 65 years of age, accounting for 25.7% of all misoperation accidents.
Compared to the accident share of elderly drivers among all traffic accidents (16.7%), the accident share of 65-year-old drivers in pedal misoperation accidents was about 1.5 times.
Looking at people over 70 years old, the share of accidents due to erroneous operation was 14.6%, which was 2.5 times higher than the proportion of domestic driver’s license holders in their 70s (5.9%).
It is pointed out that it is urgent to prepare countermeasures as it could lead to serious casualties, such as the accident at Seoul City Hall Station, which killed 14 people, or the Haeundae accident in Busan, which killed two passers-by.
Accordingly, the research institute emphasized the need for distribution, saying, “If we install a device that detects and blocks pedal misoperation, related accidents can be reduced by more than 60%.”
Currently, there is only one car model in Korea equipped with this device, but in Japan, it is used in 90% of new vehicles.
Reporter Kim Hyun-joo hjk@segye.com
(ⓒ Segye Ilbo & Segye.com, unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited)
Source: www.segye.com
