National Police Agency’s second project for free distribution of pedal misoperation prevention devices
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| View of the National Police Agency building in Migeun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Reporter Lee Yong-gyeong |
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, ‘[Herald Economy= Reporter Lee Yong-gyeong] With the increase in vehicle acceleration accidents due to pedal misoperation by elderly drivers, the police, along with relevant agencies, are set to expand the distribution of ‘pedal misoperation prevention devices’.’,
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, ‘The National Police Agency announced on the 23rd that it will proceed with an additional ‘second distribution project of pedal misoperation prevention devices’ in collaboration with the Korea Insurance Development Institute and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority to support safe driving for elderly drivers.’,
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, ‘A pedal misoperation prevention device is an advanced safety device that controls unintended acceleration when a vehicle is stationary or moving at low speed.’,
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, ‘Following the signing of an MOU for elderly driver traffic safety, a free distribution project has been underway since April this year. In the second phase of the project, the recruitment area and targets will be expanded.’,
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, ‘After analyzing the effect of the pedal misoperation prevention device used by 141 elderly drivers in the first phase of the project, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority identified a total of 71 suspected pedal misoperation incidents due to abnormal acceleration from July to September this year. The agency explained there was an effective prevention of these incidents.’,
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, ‘Abnormal acceleration is defined as pressing the accelerator more than 80% while driving below 15km/h forward or backward, or when sudden acceleration reaches 4500rpm.’,
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, ‘Based on these results, the National Police Agency, along with the Korea Insurance Development Institute and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, plans to recruit 730 elderly drivers for the second distribution project in all metropolitan cities except Sejong, starting from the 1st of next month.’,
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, ‘Applicants must submit the completed form along with their driver’s license and vehicle registration certificate by mail or in person to the regional office of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority near their residence from December 1st to 19th. Application forms can be obtained from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority’s website, local police stations, or regional agency offices.’,
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, ‘Yoo Jae-seong, acting Commissioner of the National Police Agency, stated, “Ensuring safe mobility is essential for the traffic safety of the elderly,” and added, “Through this project, we aim to raise public interest in various measures to prevent sudden acceleration accidents and implement policies to secure traffic safety for the elderly.”‘,
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, ‘Lee Byung-rae, Chairman of the Korea Insurance Development Institute, expressed, “Given the ongoing social anxiety over sudden acceleration accidents, we hope the second phase of this project will create a more reassuring traffic environment for the public.”‘,
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, ‘Jung Yong-sik, Chairman of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, remarked, “To prevent accidents caused by elderly driver mistakes, we will actively expand the support of this advanced safety device and continue to push for its mandatory adoption.”‘,
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, ‘In a recent truck accident at Bucheon Jeil Market, where 22 casualties were reported, a “pedal black box” showed that driver A pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, which served as a crucial clue in identifying the cause.’,
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, ‘However, installing a pedal misoperation prevention device can instantly control unintended acceleration due to driver mistakes such as sudden vehicle surges or pedal confusion, thus preventing major accidents.’,
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