South Korea’s crash problem from ageing drivers

South Korea is seeing an increase in the number of crashes involving elderly drivers. In the 10 years from 2006 to 2016, the number of drivers aged 70 or over being involved in crashes has increased by a factor of just over four. There were around 7,000 road crashes involving drivers aged 70 or more in 2006, compared with 29,000 in 2016. Meanwhile looking at the total figure for road crashes in 2016, 3.8% involved drivers aged 70 or over, a significant rise from the 1.3% recorded for 2006. Drivers aged 70 or over had a higher risk of being killed in a vehicle crash than younger drivers also. While the numbers of elderly drivers involved in crashes has increased, there has been a comparable reduction in the numbers of drivers aged 20-30 being involved in crashes. The Korea Insurance Development Institute compiled the data and said that this reflects the increasing age demographic in South Korea.