The city of Busan is introducing advanced safety devices to reduce the risk of traffic accidents involving elderly transportation workers. The move aims to preemptively prevent "pedal misapplication" accidents, which have recently emerged as a social concern.
Busan said Thursday it is launching a "pedal misapplication prevention device pilot project." The core of the initiative is supporting the installation of safety devices in 200 corporate taxis operated by elderly transportation workers.
The pedal misapplication prevention device, a technology that has received regulatory sandbox approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), detects situations in which a driver mistakes the accelerator for the brake and presses it, thereby preventing accidents.
When abnormal acceleration is detected while the vehicle is stationary or traveling at low speeds below 15 kilometers per hour, the device blocks accelerator pedal operation and sounds an alert. The same control function activates when revolutions per minute (RPM) surge to 4,500 or higher, even at speeds above 15 km/h.
The program targets corporate taxis in the Busan area operated by transportation workers aged 70 or older, with priority given to vehicles driven by workers 75 and older. The Busan Corporate Taxi Transport Business Association will handle participant recruitment from 10 a.m. on the 6th to 5 p.m. on the 8th. Applications can be submitted in person, by email, or by fax.
Selected vehicles must install the device for one year and submit driving records. The collected data will be analyzed by the Busan headquarters of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority to verify changes in driving behavior and accident reduction effects before and after device installation.
The city plans to incorporate the results of this pilot project into future traffic safety policies. Amid growing accident risks tied to the increase in elderly drivers, the initiative is expected to serve as a testing ground for a shift toward data-driven policy.
"This will be an opportunity to substantively strengthen the safety of elderly transportation workers," said Hwang Hyun-chul, director general of Busan's Transportation Innovation Bureau. "Through analysis of the project's effectiveness, we will continue to develop more refined traffic safety policies."
