Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance "24% Increase in Traffic Accidents Among Elderly Expected by 2026"

Increase in Elderly Employment... External Activities Rise Along with Accidents Upward

It is projected that by 2026, traffic accidents involving elderly people aged 65 and over will increase by 24% per 100,000 individuals compared to 2021. This is analyzed as an effect of the combined trend of population aging and the increase in the number of elderly workers.

On the 5th, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Traffic Safety Culture Research Institute announced a report titled "Factors and Prospects of Increasing Traffic Accidents Among the Elderly." Based on automobile insurance accident reports analyzed by Samsung Fire, it is expected that in 2026, the number of traffic accidents involving elderly people per 100,000 elderly individuals will reach 11,459 cases. This represents a 23.9% increase compared to 9,247 cases in 2021.

Specifically, traffic accidents involving elderly pedestrians are expected to increase by 11.8%, from 1,236 cases in 2021 to 1,382 cases in 2026. Accidents involving elderly drivers are projected to rise by 25.8%, from 8,011 cases to 10,077 cases during the same period. Elderly pedestrian traffic accidents are expected to increase more rapidly in metropolitan provinces, while elderly driver traffic accidents are anticipated to grow faster in large cities such as special and metropolitan cities.

The research institute diagnosed that the number of elderly workers and the elderly population ratio are the main causes. The report stated, "Analyzing the correlation between socioeconomic indicators, traffic indicators, weather observation data, and elderly traffic accidents across 17 metropolitan local governments, among 11 expected factors influencing traffic accident occurrence, 'number of elderly workers,' 'elderly population ratio,' 'number of voluntary elderly driver license returns,' 'number of registered automobiles and motorcycles,' and 'precipitation' were statistically significant." It further analyzed, "In particular, the 'number of elderly workers' and 'elderly population ratio' greatly influenced elderly traffic accidents in all metropolitan local governments."

According to Samsung Fire's predictive analysis based on Statistics Korea data, the number of elderly workers in South Korea is expected to increase by 23.2%, from approximately 2.624 million in 2021 to 3.233 million in 2026. As external activities increase due to employment, elderly pedestrian accidents in metropolitan provinces, where pedestrian safety infrastructure is relatively insufficient, are expected to increase more rapidly.

Jang Hyoseok, lead researcher at Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Traffic Safety Culture Research Institute, emphasized, "It is necessary to conduct surveys on elderly traffic patterns and traffic demand by local governments to identify frequently used routes with high demand from elderly pedestrians and elderly drivers, and actively invest in improving pedestrian and road environments centered on these routes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.