Why Was the City Bus Driver Acquitted After Fatally Striking a Pedestrian?

On the 29th, Ko Young-sik, a judge at the Daejeon District Court, announced a not-guilty verdict for the city bus driver, referred to as A, who was charged with causing death under the Act on Special Cases concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.

The defendant was brought to trial for hitting and killing a jaywalking pedestrian, identified as B (65), at a four-lane intersection in Jung District, Daejeon, at 9:50 a.m. on April 24.

At the time, the driver was operating the bus at 21 km/h on a road with a speed limit of 50 km/h, and it was determined that there were no violations of traffic regulations.

Furthermore, according to an assessment by the National Forensic Service (NFS), the time between the driver noticing the pedestrian and the collision was 0.87 seconds, which is shorter than the typical driver’s perception-reaction time of one second.

The court stated, “The victim suddenly jaywalked in close proximity to the bus, making it difficult for the defendant to notice the pedestrian immediately. Since the time from recognition to impact was less than one second, it cannot be ruled out that it was difficult to avoid the accident. Therefore, it is hard to conclude that the defendant had a duty of care to anticipate such a situation and ensure safety by monitoring pedestrians.”