"Elderly Drivers React Slower to Sudden Brake Situations Compared to Younger Drivers"

Korea Consumer Agency, City Road Driving Simulation
Reaction Time Up to Over 1 Second Slower
"Need to Expand Vehicles with Pedal Misapplication Prevention Function"

The Korea Consumer Agency recently announced on the 10th that active measures are required to reduce related accidents as traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers are increasing.

As a result of a city road driving simulation test conducted by the Consumer Agency on 34 drivers (17 elderly and 17 non-elderly), elderly drivers showed a reaction time up to 1 second slower than non-elderly drivers, indicating a higher likelihood of causing accidents.

Specifically, regarding reaction time to operate the brake after an unexpected situation occurs, elderly drivers (3.56 seconds) reacted 0.47 seconds slower than non-elderly drivers (3.09 seconds) in a sudden stop of the preceding vehicle. Additionally, in a situation where a child suddenly runs out to cross the street with limited visibility due to illegally parked vehicles, elderly drivers (2.28 seconds) reacted 1.08 seconds slower than non-elderly drivers (1.20 seconds), making it more difficult to respond.

Typically, if a driver traveling at 50 km/h applies the brake 1 second late in an unexpected situation, the vehicle travels about 14 meters further before the brake is engaged. This increases the risk of causing a traffic accident.

According to a survey conducted by the Consumer Agency on 300 elderly drivers aged 65 and over, 182 respondents (60.7%) answered that they are more likely to cause traffic accidents than non-elderly drivers. The most common reason (multiple responses allowed) was "decline in judgment or reaction speed" (174 respondents, 95.6%), followed by "decline in vision" (132 respondents, 72.5%), "decline in motor skills" (120 respondents, 65.9%), and "experience of continuous medication" (18 respondents, 9.9%).

As a measure to reduce accidents, "introduction of elderly-assist vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems" (188 respondents, 62.7%) was most frequently mentioned. In South Korea, according to the "Regulations on the Performance and Standards of Automobiles and Automobile Parts" enforced in January 2023, the installation of emergency automatic braking systems in vehicles driven by elderly drivers has been made mandatory.

However, since there is a high possibility of confusing the accelerator pedal with the brake pedal in unexpected situations, the Consumer Agency suggested the need to expand the distribution of vehicles equipped with pedal misapplication prevention devices. The pedal misapplication prevention device suppresses engine output when the vehicle sensor detects vehicles or obstacles in front or behind and the driver presses the accelerator pedal instead of the brake, thereby preventing sudden acceleration. In Japan, where there are many elderly drivers, the trend is to encourage certification and distribution of vehicles equipped with both emergency automatic braking systems and pedal misapplication prevention devices.

The Consumer Agency plans to share the results of this survey with relevant government departments and make recommendations on these points.

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