As traffic crashes by older drivers (age 65 and older) continue, voices are again growing that license surrender should be strengthened.
However, with the number of older drivers rising quickly, some note it is hard to conclude risk based only on the increase in crash counts. Considering drivers who rely on driving for a living and those living in areas with weak public transportation, some say a comprehensive plan—such as driver ability assessments and wider distribution of safety devices—would be better than a blanket push for license surrender.
According to police and others on the 24th, on the 21st in Daeyeon-dong, Nam District, Busan, a sedan driven by a driver in their 70s hit four pedestrians walking on the sidewalk. Two people were killed and two were injured in the crash. On the 22nd in Daegu, a taxi driver in their 70s caused a nine-vehicle pileup, injuring 10, and the same day in Busan, a driver in their 70s suddenly reversed and rammed into four vehicles in succession, including a motorcycle and cars.
Crashes involving older drivers have been steadily increasing. Over the past five years, traffic crashes caused by drivers age 65 and older rose 44.1% (14,032 cases), from 31,841 in 2021 to 45,873 in 2025. By contrast, during the same period crashes involving drivers under 65 fell 13.5% (22,797 cases), from 168,336 to 145,539.
Local governments are also encouraging surrender by providing transportation cards or local currency worth 100,000 to 500,000 won when older drivers voluntarily turn in their licenses.
◇ Older drivers expected to reach 13.16 million in 2040
But it is difficult to interpret the rise in crashes solely as an increase in the individual risk of older drivers. The number of older drivers itself is rapidly increasing due to an aging population. According to the Korean National Police Agency, the number of older drivers rose 40% (1.61 million), from 4.02 million in 2021 to 5.63 million in 2025. The Korean National Police Agency expects the number to reach 13.16 million in 2040.
It is also hard to compare the severity of crashes in simple terms. Last year, the number of casualties per crash involving older drivers was 1.4, lower than 1.42 for drivers under 65. In contrast, the number of deaths per 100 traffic crashes was 1.8 for older drivers, higher than 0.8 for drivers under 65. This is why some say factors such as crashes per license holder, crash types, and fatality and serious-injury rates should be considered along with crash counts.
Crashes involving older drivers also occur more often in daytime, making them more noticeable socially. Of 45,873 crashes involving older drivers last year, 34,509 occurred during the day, accounting for 75.2%. That is 12 percentage points higher than the 63.2% daytime share among drivers under 65. The difference is seen as stemming from relatively fewer nighttime trips by older drivers.
◇ Half of taxi drivers are older; livelihood is bleak if they surrender licenses
Livelihood issues that arise when older drivers surrender their licenses also need to be considered. According to the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS), this year 21.6% (31,679) of 146,710 bus drivers are older. Among 237,224 taxi drivers, 119,152 are older, more than half. Among 438,191 truck drivers, 76,340 are older, accounting for 17.4%.
In sectors where driving is directly tied to one's livelihood, such as taxis and trucks, tightening license surrender could create income gaps. In rural and outlying areas where public transportation is insufficient, mobility is also a major issue. Many in the older population need to drive for daily routines such as hospital visits and shopping.
For this reason, experts say it is necessary to manage drivers according to their ability rather than uniformly excluding older drivers from roads. Proposals include strengthening aptitude and cognitive function tests and considering conditional licenses that limit nighttime or highway driving. Some also say safety devices that reduce crash risk should be distributed to older drivers first.
Overseas, some are pursuing mandatory installation of a "pedal misapplication prevention device" instead of license surrender. The device automatically controls vehicle output when a driver suddenly presses hard on the accelerator instead of the brake. In Japan, the device is reportedly installed in 93% of new vehicles.
However, some point out that existing pedal misapplication prevention devices mainly operate at low speeds, limiting their ability to prevent crashes that cause pedestrian casualties.
Park Yo-han, a senior researcher at the Samsung Traffic Safety Culture Institute, said, "It is urgent to equip vehicles with 'pedal misapplication prevention technology during medium- and high-speed driving' that detects and controls pedal misapplication in real time while on the road," and added, "If the government establishes purchase support policies so the older population can receive it first, it would be effective in preventing accelerator pedal misapplication crashes."