Investigations into Alleged Sudden Acceleration... In 7 Out of 10 Cases It Was Pedal Misapplication, the Rest Were...

[Financial News] More than 7 out of 10 cases reported last year as suspected sudden unintended acceleration accidents were in fact found to be caused by driver pedal misapplication.
According to analysis results released on the 19th by the Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute (KATRI) under the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS), of the 149 suspected sudden acceleration accidents reported in the media for the year 2025, 109 cases (73.2%) for which investigations were completed were determined to be pedal misapplication accidents. The remaining 40 cases are still under investigation or have not yet been finalized, and no cases of sudden unintended acceleration caused by vehicle defects have been confirmed so far.
An analysis of accident characteristics showed that the proportion of older drivers was overwhelmingly high. Among accidents where the driver’s age was identified, those aged 60 and older accounted for 75.2%. In terms of timing, 69.4% of accidents occurred while the vehicle was stopped or traveling at low speed, exceeding the number of accidents that occurred during normal driving.
As for accident locations, arterial roads accounted for the largest share at 40.3%, followed by apartment and residential complexes at 29.5%, and local roads such as alleyways at 24.8%. By model year, vehicles from 2021 to 2026 made up more than half of the cases. By fuel type, gasoline vehicles were the most common, but when compared against the number of registered vehicles, electric vehicles showed the highest accident rate.
To reduce unintended acceleration accidents, the authority is promoting several measures, including guidance on emergency response methods using the electronic parking brake (EPB), opening pedal misapplication prevention technologies to the private sector, and introducing evaluation criteria for pedal misapplication prevention devices into the New Car Assessment Program.
“The authority is thoroughly determining the causes of accidents suspected to be due to vehicle defects by using advanced investigation techniques and specialized personnel,” said Yong-Sik Jung, chairperson of TS. “Based on this accident investigation experience, we will focus our capabilities on developing technologies and improving systems that can prevent pedal misapplication accidents,” he added.
en1302@fnnews.com Jang In-seo Reporter