More elderly drivers are having car accidents in Korea, raising concerns over safety.... but many of them still want to hold on to their driver’s license.<br />Lee Min-sun reports. <br /> <br />On Tuesday night, a 96-year-old driver knocked down and killed a 30-year-old woman in Seoul’s Gangnam district. <br />Another driver in her 70s drove into a tree, killing two and injuring three people. <br />Korea is an aging society with those aged 65 and above making up 14.8% of the total population. Consequently, car accidents caused by elderly drivers are increasing fast.<br /> <br />In 2017, over 26-thousand car accidents were caused by elderly drivers. That’s an almost 160% increase from 2008 when there were 10-thousand cases. <br />Concerns over the safety of elderly drivers are rising not just in Korea but also in other countries.<br />97-year-old Prince Phillip of the UK voluntarily gave up his driver’s license this month after causing a car accident. <br /> <br />Elderly drivers’ cognitive response time is twice as long as normal people so braking distances will be longer. Also, their ability to cope with unexpected situations is significantly reduced. <br /><br />To better ensure people’s safety, starting this year the Korean government shortened the license renewal period for over-65s from 5 years to 3 years. At the time of the renewal, elderly drivers are required to take 2 hours of safety education.<br />Besides the mandatory measures, some local authorities are also encouraging elderly drivers to voluntarily turn in their driver's license. <br />However, without legal obligations or financial incentives, as of 2017, less 5,000 elderly drivers have given up their license. <br />Some experts say in addition to giving incentives, the overall road environment needs to be improved such as enlarging road signs to better serve elderly drivers. <br />Lee Min-sun, Arirang News. <br />
