KBS News Pedal misuse accidents rise / KBS 2025.11.14.

[Anchor]

The cause of this accident is heavily attributed to ‘pedal misoperation’, which occurs every year without fail.

As a countermeasure, the ‘misoperation prevention device’ that blocks acceleration is being highlighted, but it is still three years away from mandatory implementation.

Reporter Moon Ye-seul has the story.

[Report]

A vehicle racing through a market passage.

Only the orange hazard lights are visible, while the red brake lights are not on.

The same is true from another angle.

This contrasts sharply with how clearly it was visible when the car was moving slightly.

[Market Merchant/Voice Altered: “Fortunately, it hit something here (in the market), so it was able to stop ahead….”]

The vehicle crash incident at City Hall Station last year, which resulted in the deaths of nine people, was also caused by pedal misoperation.

Accidents identified as ‘pedal misoperation’ have steadily increased each year, with over 120 cases last year alone and more than 300 cases in the past five years.

The misoperation prevention device is being pointed out as a solution.

If a driver presses the accelerator pedal hard while the vehicle is stationary or moving slowly, it automatically blocks acceleration.

In a pilot project conducted last year involving 60 taxis, all sudden accelerations were blocked over a two-month period, preventing accidents.

Following the City Hall Station vehicle crash, South Korea has amended its laws to mandate the misoperation prevention device, similar to Japan.

However, implementation will not begin until three years later, in 2029.

[Kim Hye-bin/Senior Researcher, Korea Transportation Safety Authority: “If technological improvements are not made, there are many limitations to what drivers can do….”]

Additionally, the revised law only applies to new vehicles, leaving the retrofitting of existing vehicles as an ongoing challenge.

This is KBS News, Moon Ye-seul.

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