Pedal Misapplication Accidents Surge 2.3 Times in Five Years... "Urgent Need for Safety Measures"

70% of Accidents Involve Elderly Drivers

As incidents involving pedal misapplication have surged recently, there are growing calls for urgent safety measures for elderly drivers.

According to the "Analysis of Major Pedal Misapplication Accident Characteristics" released by the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Traffic Safety Culture Research Institute on June 4, an analysis of 567 suspected pedal misapplication accidents from 2021 to 2025 found that the number of such incidents increased from 66 in 2021 to 153 last year, a rise of approximately 2.3 times. During the same period, the number of fatalities rose 3.4 times, from 15 to 51.

Pedal misapplication accidents mostly occur during parking or low-speed driving, but on sidewalks and back roads, it is presumed that drivers—panicked in the moment—continue to press the accelerator, resulting in major casualties.

By age group, accidents involving drivers aged 60 and older accounted for 70.5% of the total. There were 400 such cases involving drivers aged 60 and above, which is about 2.9 times more than the 136 cases involving drivers under 60. The number of casualties per accident was also higher for those aged 60 and above, at 2.8 people, compared to 2.1 for those under 60—a 33% difference. Of the total 1,448 casualties from the past five years, 1,115 (77%) were from accidents involving drivers aged 60 and older.

Fatal accidents also showed a high proportion of elderly drivers. Over the past five years, there were 93 fatal pedal misapplication accidents involving drivers aged 60 and above, which is 3.6 times more than the 26 cases involving drivers under 60. The number of fatalities was 132 for those aged 60 and over, 4.7 times higher than the 28 fatalities among those under 60.

The research institute pointed out the limitations of current pedal misapplication prevention technology, which is focused on low-speed driving. Park Yohan, Senior Researcher at the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Traffic Safety Culture Research Institute, said, "Pedal misapplication accidents, which often result in fatalities, are increasing every year. In addition to the currently promoted acceleration suppression function at startup, we need technology that can detect and control pedal misapplication in real time even at medium and high speeds." He also emphasized, "It is necessary for the government to develop support policies, such as subsidies and tax benefits, specifically for the elderly."

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