Fewer Traffic Accidents but More Fatalities: "Impact of Aging Population"

National Police Agency and Korea Road Traffic Authority Release Traffic Accident Statistics

"Increase in Elderly Drivers and Pedestrians Leads to Rise in Fatalities"

Last year, the number of traffic accidents and injuries decreased compared to the previous year, but the number of fatalities increased slightly. The police analyzed that this was due to a rise in elderly drivers and pedestrians as a result of rapid population aging.

The National Police Agency and Korea Road Traffic Authority released the 2025 traffic accident statistics on April 16. The number of accidents was tallied at 193,889, a 1.3% decrease from the previous year, while the number of injuries fell by 2.4% to 271,751. However, the number of fatalities increased by 1.1% to 2,549. The main reason for this rise was an increase of 10.8% in fatalities caused by elderly drivers.

Last year, there were 45,873 traffic accidents involving elderly drivers, an 8.3% increase from the previous year. The number of fatalities rose by 10.8% to 843. Traffic accidents involving elderly pedestrians also increased by 1.7% to 11,498 cases. This trend is attributed to structural changes in society due to aging, with the elderly population rising by 5.8% from 9.93 million to 10.51 million in just one year. The number of elderly driver’s license holders also increased by 8.9% from 5.17 million to 5.63 million.

During the same period, the number of traffic accidents caused by drunk driving decreased by 6.2% to 10,351, and fatalities dropped by 12.3% to 121. The police interpreted this as an effect of stricter penalties for obstructing sobriety tests and the introduction of drunk driving prevention devices. Notably, considering that the number of fatalities was 206 in 2021, five years ago, this represents a decrease of more than 40%.

Lee Seoyoung, Director of the Traffic and Public Safety Bureau at the National Police Agency, stated, "As the elderly population and drivers continue to increase, it is necessary to implement elderly-focused traffic safety measures to prevent accidents involving senior drivers and pedestrians." She added, "We plan to appoint traffic safety leaders in senior citizen clubs in each region for education and public awareness campaigns, as well as to distribute safety gear."

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