As the population ages rapidly, the number of elderly drivers is steadily increasing. This reflects a growing tendency to keep working for a living after retirement, along with a wider range of daily activities such as hospital visits and leisure. The trend is also confirmed in statistics. According to the National Assembly Budget Office, the number of driver's license holders aged 65 and older rose from 2.29 million in 2015 to 5.17 million last year. By 2050, the figure is projected to reach 9.83 million.
The problem is that as more elderly people drive, traffic accidents are also increasing. Traffic accidents caused by drivers aged 65 and older rose 44.1% from 31,841 in 2021 to 45,873 last year. Since the July 2024 wrong-way accident near Seoul City Hall Station, which killed nine people, local governments have made efforts to reduce accidents by elderly drivers, including a voluntary license return system. Yet the return rate still remains in the 2% range.
A leading cause of accidents among elderly drivers is so-called "pedal misapplication," in which drivers press the accelerator instead of the brake in sudden situations. A survey by a major domestic insurer also found that more than one in four pedal misapplication accidents involved drivers aged 65 and older. Pedal misapplication is closely linked not only to declining cognitive function but also to changes in physical function. In sudden situations, a driver must move the leg quickly to hit the brake, but when lower-limb function declines due to age-related muscle weakness and musculoskeletal disorders such as degenerative knee arthritis, instantaneous response can be delayed.
There is also research demonstrating the connection between musculoskeletal disorders and safe driving. According to a study conducted by a research team at the University of Alabama on drivers aged 65 and older, elderly female drivers with knee arthritis had about a 1.8 times higher risk of at-fault traffic accidents than women without knee arthritis. The researchers analyzed that joint pain and limited range of motion may have affected pedal operation and vehicle control in emergency situations. This suggests that managing the knee health of elderly drivers may be closely related to safe driving.
The older the driver, the greater the importance of managing knee arthritis. In particular, neglecting degenerative knee arthritis can lead to progressive cartilage damage and worsening pain and functional decline.
In Korean medicine, knee arthritis is managed with integrative Korean medicine treatment combining acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, and herbal prescriptions. There are also research papers scientifically proving the effect of acupuncture treatment on knee arthritis. According to a study published by Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine in the international journal Frontiers in Medicine, the average pain Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) of knee arthritis patients dropped by nearly half, from 6.1—a moderate pain level—before treatment to 3.6—a mild pain level—after acupuncture treatment. The NRS is a scale dividing pain intensity from 0 to 10, with a higher number indicating more severe pain. The osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) also improved from 53.67 before treatment to 38.97 after treatment. WOMAC is a scale that evaluates difficulties in activities caused by knee pain and stiffness on a scale of 0 to 96, with a higher score meaning greater difficulty in daily life.
Safe driving is not determined by cognitive ability alone. If you repeatedly feel knee pain when pressing the brake while driving or experience your legs losing strength, it is better to check the condition of your joints rather than dismiss it as simple aging. The first step toward safe driving is maintaining knee health through appropriate exercise and weight management. Receiving early treatment when knee arthritis symptoms appear can help not only with safe driving but also with maintaining quality of life.
