성남시 고령운전자 사고 10년 새 145% 급증…교통안전 ‘빨간불’

The population of South Korea's Seongnam City is aging rapidly, leading to a 145% surge in traffic accidents involving senior drivers (65 years and older) over the past decade. A recent study by Seongnam City's Research Institute highlights the urgent need for targeted measures beyond mere driving restrictions. From 2016 to 2025, the total number of traffic accidents nationwide decreased by 13.2%, while accidents caused by senior drivers increased by 95.9%, from 24,222 to 47,637 cases.

While overall traffic fatalities dropped by 41.0%, senior driver accidents accounted for 33.1% of all fatalities. Seongnam City's situation is even more alarming, with a 7.1% decrease in total population but a 55.6% rise in the senior population and a 145% increase in senior driver accidents from 308 to 756 cases. Last year, 19 city traffic fatalities, or 36.8%, were caused by senior driver accidents.

The lead researcher, Choi Jin-hyun, identified the primary cause of senior driver accidents as a decrease in reaction and judgment speed, compounded by physical vulnerability. Roughly 70% of senior driver accidents occurred during the week, with high rates of insufficient safe distance maintenance and improper cross-road maneuvering.

Choi emphasized that age-based blanket checks or driving bans are insufficient to prevent these accidents, advocating for a combination of "safe continuation" and "healthy termination." To address this issue, the report proposes four strategies: transitioning to a "regular traffic point" system to overcome the limitations of one-time cash refunds for license suspension; providing financial support for pedal operation prevention devices and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) systems, especially for drivers aged 75 and above; implementing a pilot program to collect and analyze driving data to prove effectiveness; and expanding protective facilities and smart crosswalks based on accident hotspots, as well as optimizing roundabout conversion and speed management systems.

The researcher urged the establishment of a new ordinance, "Seongnam City Senior Driver Traffic Accident Prevention and Mobility Support Rule," to ensure these measures are implemented sustainably.