The Korea Times
Traffic accidents and injuries declined last year in Korea, but fatalities linked to elderly drivers increased, highlighting growing safety concerns in an aging society. According to the 2025 traffic accident statistics released by the Korean National Police Agency and the Korea Road Traffic Authority Thursday, the total number of traffic accidents fell to 193,889, down 1.3 percent from the previous year. The number of injuries also dropped 2.4 percent to 271,751. However, total fatalities rose 1.1 percent to 2,549. Accidents involving elderly drivers — typically defined in Korea as those aged 65 and older — increased significantly. Such accidents rose 8.3 percent year-on-year to 45,873, while related deaths jumped 10.8 percent to 843. Accidents involving elderly pedestrians also edged up 1.7 percent to 11,498. Authorities said the rise reflects demographic changes, noting that the elderly population grew from 9.93 million to 10.51 million, an increase of 5.8 percent. The number of driver’s license holders in the same age group also rose 8.9 percent, from 5.17 million to 5.63 millio
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