Elderly Drivers Surge 282% Over 10 Years…Must Improve Intersection Angles and Road Signs to Prepare for Super-Aged Society

An argument has been raised for the need to improve road traffic facilities for elderly drivers.

The proposal includes improving intersection angles, sight distances at traffic lights based on signal response time, road signs, and ensuring traffic safety for elderly drivers through advanced technology.

According to Gyeonggi Province on the 10th, the Gyeonggi Research Institute recently published 'Study on Improving Road Traffic Facilities Considering Elderly Drivers in Preparation for Super-Aged Society,' which seeks the above improvements based on the status of elderly drivers.

With an aging population, the number of driver's license holders aged 65 and over nationwide increased 282% over 10 years, from 1.18 million in 2009 to 3.33 million in 2019, while traffic accidents involving elderly drivers in the same period increased 277%, from 12,000 cases to 33,000 cases.

As of 2019, traffic accident fatalities involving elderly drivers in Gyeonggi Province increased at an average annual rate of 2%, accounting for 16% of total traffic accident deaths. Additionally, the number of injured increased at an average annual rate of 13.6%, accounting for 11% of total traffic accident injuries.

Currently, the general license renewal period is 10 years, but those aged 65 and over renew their licenses every 5 years, and those aged 75 and over every 3 years.

Additionally, efforts to reduce traffic accidents involving elderly drivers continue through traffic safety education and voluntary license return programs targeting elderly drivers.

Since elderly drivers experience a decline in physical functions necessary for driving performance, such as vision, cognitive function, and motor function, improvements to road traffic facilities considering them are necessary.

The report suggests maintaining intersection angles at a minimum of 75° or more to ensure visibility, and extending the reaction time from the current 6 seconds to 8.5 seconds when calculating sight distances at signalized intersections to provide sufficient time to handle intersection situations.

Elderly drivers take longer to read road signs and have higher misreading rates.

When there are 10 place names, drivers in their 20s take less than 4 seconds to read them, while those in their 60s take about 8 seconds and those in their 70s take about 10 seconds.

Additionally, the misreading rate is 0.1% or less for those in their 20s, while it is about 0.3% for those in their 60s and 0.4% for those in their 70s.

Accordingly, the report mentions that there is a need to improve road signs for elderly drivers by increasing the size of road signs and using road guidance signs that match road configurations.

The report also includes directions to install pavement markings and guidance signs on turn routes to help drivers make decisions.

Advanced driver assistance systems equipped with emergency automatic braking pedals and erroneous operation prevention functions are also expected to be beneficial for elderly drivers.

Correspondingly, advanced road infrastructure such as illuminated lane markings and smart toll gates should be built.

Kim Byung-gwan, research fellow at Gyeonggi Research Institute, stated, "Since the declining physical and mental functions of the elderly cannot unconditionally restrict their driving and mobility rights, securing road traffic safety considering elderly drivers is an important task for future transportation environments."

He added, "As life expectancy increases, we need to reconsider the definition of elderly drivers, subdivide age standards further, and establish not just license management systems but also support policies."