▲Professor Kim Pil-su, Department of Future Automobile Engineering, Daerim University

“We must introduce a Korean-style pedal misoperation prevention device to reduce accidents involving elderly drivers”

Government and local governments accelerate the introduction of pedal misoperation prevention devices… Preparations are inadequate
We must avoid excessive policies to reduce accidents involving elderly drivers… National consensus is essential

The recent large-scale car accident in front of Seoul City Hall has led to increased interest in the problems of sudden acceleration and elderly drivers.

In particular, as the number of elderly drivers increases rapidly, there are many cases where 'emergency automatic braking devices' and 'pedal misoperation prevention devices' that are designed to prevent accidents caused by pedal misoperation are being mistakenly accepted as devices to prevent sudden acceleration of the car.

Currently, devices that prevent sudden acceleration in automobiles are not available even when looking at the global market, and only methods to reduce them are being sought.

As the number of accidents caused by elderly drivers' incorrect pedal operation increases, devices to prevent incorrect pedal operation are attracting attention.

There are many cases where people say they accelerated suddenly to avoid accidents because they cannot remember whether they pressed the accelerator or the brake pedal.

The pedal misoperation prevention device prevents the driver from pressing the accelerator pedal. It can be said that it has the function of stopping or slowing down the car by operating the brakes when pressed incorrectly.

This is considered the best alternative, and the central government and local governments are rushing to introduce it, and a method of guaranteeing a portion of the cost when installing it has also been proposed.

The problem is that preparation for this doesn't happen overnight.

It may be possible for current manufacturers to apply it to new vehicles, but the reality is that it remains an emergency automatic braking system, and a device to prevent pedal misoperation must be newly developed.

There is a need to benchmark Japan.

Since Japan entered an aging society about 20 years ago, the number of accidents involving elderly drivers has increased rapidly.

The Japanese government is currently in the process of establishing a system to certify pedal misoperation prevention devices developed by small and medium-sized enterprises for aftermarket use.

There are a variety of pedal misoperation prevention devices developed to work on all vehicles, mainly Japanese vehicles, and they can be installed for about 250,000 to 300,000 won in our currency.

Local governments are providing installation subsidies to reduce the burden on the elderly.

In Japan, there are various certified products for this, and they are manualized, and it can be said that various preparations, such as whether or not local governments provide subsidies, are thorough.

It is said to have great implications as it is a process that has been achieved step by step by entering an aging society ahead of us.

We do not have time to go through this long process, so we need to quickly establish a Korean model.

It would be best to first go through the process of importing and then gradually manufacturing and distributing our own products.

In addition, various systems and implementation methods in response to Japan's entry into an aging society can be of great help to us, who are increasingly concerned about this.

As we introduce policies to reduce accidents involving elderly drivers, which are rapidly increasing, I hope that we will create them one by one with appropriate national consensus and rationality.

We must not allow cases to arise that only aggravate national difficulties, such as the introduction of unreasonable systems through legislation by members of the National Assembly.

I hope that this will be completed as a proper policy by referring to advanced overseas cases.

One of these would be conditional driver's licenses for elderly drivers, which is of the greatest national interest.