Home > National > Social Affairs

Older drivers to take VR-powered self-diagnostic test to renew licenses

Published: 12 Feb. 2025, 15:58

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

A driver takes a self-diagnosis test of driving skills using virtual reality (VR) technology [NATIONAL POLICE AGENCY]

Older drivers 75 or over seeking to renew their licenses will need to take a self-diagnostic test of their driving skills using virtual reality (VR), the government announced Wednesday.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the National Police Agency and other related ministries said they have established an implementation plan to promote pedestrian safety and convenience for the new year, including fresh measures for renewing the driver's licenses of elderly drivers.

According to the agencies, the National Police Agency will pilot a self-diagnosis system employing VR technology that allows drivers to check their driving skills for regular license aptitude tests for drivers 75 or older by the end of this year.

The new system uses VR technology to provide drivers with a virtual environment similar to actual driving conditions and helps them evaluate how they handle unprotected left turns and unexpected situations when cornering.

The National Police Agency plans to provide consulting services, such as encouraging older drivers who participate in self-diagnoses to voluntarily surrender their driver's licenses if their driving skills have declined significantly.

”We have decided to introduce this self-diagnosis system as traffic accidents involving older drivers continue, and we have entered a super-aging society," a National Police Agency official said. "We will decide whether to expand the system after reviewing the results of the pilot program.”

In addition, the government said it would establish standards to prevent pedal mishaps, ensuring the safety of older drivers.

To protect children, safety facilities such as sidewalks, vehicle guardrails and smart crosswalks will be expanded within children's protection zones.

The new plans will also actively eliminate risk factors that hinder pedestrian safety. High-risk back alleys in urban areas will be designated as “pedestrian priority roads,” and driver guidance will be provided through navigation systems.

The pedestrian environment will also be improved by installing right-turn signals in areas with frequent right-turn accidents, installing crosswalks further from intersections, and installing speed reduction facilities.

In areas with a high risk of vehicles crashing into the sidewalk, safety fences for cars will be installed, and facilities to block high-speed vehicles will be installed on a trial basis in plazas and stations where pedestrians are concentrated.

“The number of traffic fatalities in Korea has decreased to the OECD level, but pedestrian fatalities are still high,” said Lee Han-kyung, head of the Disaster Safety Management Office. "We will focus on the safety management of vulnerable pedestrians and strive to create a traffic environment where all citizens can walk safely.”

BY JUNG JAE-HONG, LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]