25.07.02.Today News : Elderly Driver Crashes into Highway Rest Stop, Injuring 10

Elderly Driver Crashes into Highway Rest Stop, Injuring 10

• SUV driven by woman in her 80s plows into rest stop restaurant in Gangneung; calls grow for stricter elderly driver regulations

One day after the first anniversary of a deadly wrong-way driving accident in Seoul, another serious incident involving an elderly driver occurred. An 80-something woman crashed her SUV into a restaurant area at a highway rest stop in Gangneung, injuring 10 people, including several foreign nationals.

A female driver in her 80s plowed into a restaurant at Daegwallyeong Rest Area on Yeongdong Expressway, injuring 10 people, including foreigners.

At 11:32 a.m. on July 2, an SUV driven by an 82-year-old woman crashed into the dining area of the Daegwallyeong Rest Stop on the eastbound lane of the Yeongdong Expressway in Gangwon Province. According to local fire and highway patrol authorities, three people sustained serious injuries, while seven others—many of them foreign nationals—were treated for minor injuries.

The injured were quickly transferred to hospitals in Gangneung and Wonju. Although some sustained bone fractures and chest pain, no fatalities were reported. Among the injured were American and British citizens participating in a summer program organized by an international school based in Seoul.

Initially, up to 16 people were reported injured, but those with only minor scrapes were excluded from the final tally. Authorities believe the crash was caused by driver error, with the woman reportedly stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake.

The accident coincided with renewed public concern over traffic safety involving elderly drivers, especially in light of increasing statistics. According to the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, seniors aged 65 and older were responsible for 42,369 accidents in 2023—21.6% of the nation’s total traffic accidents. This marks a significant increase from 14.8% in 2020.

Elderly-involved traffic accidents have shown a steady upward trend over recent years: 31,841 in 2021, 34,652 in 2022, and 39,614 in 2023.

Experts are calling for systemic reforms, including conditional licensing and mandatory vehicle safety features for senior drivers. "As cognitive and reflexive abilities decline with age, we need stricter measures to ensure road safety,” one transportation expert emphasized.

One-line summary : An SUV driven by an elderly woman crashed into a rest stop restaurant in Gangwon, injuring 10 people including foreign nationals.