The number of elderly drivers who died in traffic accidents has doubled over the past decade, government data shows. 

In 2016, 496 drivers between the ages of 70 and 89 died in road accidents, doubling from the 2007 tally of 246, the Road Traffic Authority said Sunday.
 

Of the 496, 393 were in their 70s and the other 103 were in their 80s.
The deaths of 70-something drivers marked an increases of 81.9 percent compared to 2007. 

“The increase (in elderly drivers’ traffic deaths) can be attributed to the aging of drivers’ license holders who acquired a license in their youth. Seniors are also more likely to die in traffic accidents due to their relatively weak physical conditions and reduced ability to recover (from injury),” Oh Ju-seok, senior researcher at the Road Traffic Authority, told The Korea Herald. 

“It is important to strengthen the country’s license renewal requirements for the elderly to make an accurate diagnosis of their driving abilities.” 

In a separate survey conducted by the traffic authority last year, 75.7 percent of drivers above the age of 70 assessed their physical condition to be “good.” No respondents said they were in “poor” condition compared to other age groups, the survey showed. 

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)