**2023 Dementia Diagnosis, 3-Month Medication… No History of Traffic Accidents**
A traffic accident involving a car plowing into a market in Mokdong, Seoul occurred on December 31, 2024, resulting in multiple injuries. The 70-year-old driver responsible for the incident was diagnosed with dementia in November 2023 but stopped taking medication early last year.
The Yangcheon Police Station reported that the driver, referred to as A, was diagnosed with dementia at a hospital in Seoul in November 2023 and took prescribed medication for three months. However, since February last year, A neither sought further dementia-related medical consultations nor received additional prescriptions.
During a police investigation following the accident, A stated that he had been diagnosed with dementia about two years earlier and had taken medication at the time. The investigation also revealed that A had been advised to seek dementia treatment at a local healthcare center in Yangcheon-gu back in February 2022, before his official diagnosis.
According to transportation laws, dementia is a disqualifying condition for obtaining a driver’s license. However, current regulations do not consider all dementia patients to have impaired cognitive abilities to the extent that they cannot drive. Only those who have been hospitalized for six months or more are required to undergo an aptitude test, which might lead to the cancellation of their license based on the results. Therefore, A was not subject to such a test.
A has no record of causing traffic accidents resulting in harm to others and had renewed his regular driver’s license in September 2022 following an aptitude test.
A police official stated that determining the extent of the driver’s dementia was medically challenging and that there are currently no plans for a psychiatric evaluation of the driver.
The police have confiscated A’s vehicle and are in the process of revoking his license. The accident occurred when A accelerated past a bus and veered into the market, traveling at a speed of 70-80 km/h. This incident led to the death of a man in his 40s and injuries to 12 others. The police have charged A with violating the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling, specifically for causing a fatal accident.