By Bae Eun-joo.
"Dear Abby," an advice column carried by The Korea Times, is one of my favorite sections. I enjoy reading it every day.
Started in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name Abigal Van Buren, Dear Abby has maintained its popularity as over 1,200 newspapers worldwide have published the column.
One of the stories I remember from past columns is about a senior driver who sought advice from Dear Abby. The elderly man in his 70s living in the U.S. claimed that his poor vision and declining motor skills brought on by his age no longer enabled him to drive long-distances. He said that he heavily relied on his neighbors for his mobility, which varied from every day grocery shopping to regular visits to his doctors.
Kind enough to help out this elderly man, the good-hearted family next door was willing to take him downtown along with them for daily chores. Whenever the man knocked on their door, he was gladly accepted. Or so it seemed.
After a few months of lending a helping hand to the old man, the "gracious" family members started to change their attitude.
The elderly man was not refused the rides with his neighbors but instead was met with one unexpected factor _ a dog. Knowing that the man was allergic to dogs, the family started bringing along the canine pet on every ride with him.
Frustrated by the family's sudden change in attitude, the man turned to Dear Abby for advice. And the columnist recommended that the man arrange dates with the neighbor when he wants to continue asking for free rides and repay their favors with small presents or payments in return.
The National Police Agency announced recently that it would seek to revise current license regulations to require senior drivers to take license renewal tests more frequently. Current regulations demand that drivers aged 65 and older renew their licenses every five years, but the revised plan would require drivers aged 75 and older to renew their licenses every three years.
Recent data released by the Samsung Traffic Safety Research Institute show that accidents caused by drivers aged 65 and older grew from 13,596 cases in 2011 to 23,063 in 2015.
Data also indicate that accidents involving senior drivers increased 70 percent and deaths related to senior drivers increased 40 percent during the past five years.
The police say that the number increases dramatically when it comes to senior citizens who account for the largest part of the driving population in rural areas who mostly drive farm tractors and other agricultural vehicles for their livings.
The number of accidents involving farming vehicles recorded in rural areas was 435 last year and the number of deaths in these accidents increased to 75 in 2015 from 39 in 2010. Among the 435 accidents, senior drivers were involved in 75 percent of them.
There is no doubt that regulations about senior drivers need to be strictly reinforced as the rapidly aging population is one of the biggest issues Korea is faced with.
Many countries have adopted different measures to minimize accidents relating to senior drivers. In Japan, for example, drivers aged 75 and older are required to be tested for Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive functions. Some U.S. states and European countries require senior drivers to take road tests and follow up with their doctors in submitting medical information when renewing driver's licenses.
Just as important as reinforcing regulations, the government needs to come up with countermeasures to solve the issue in the long term.
Some of the suggested solutions include providing senior citizens with transportation expenses for returning their driver's licenses or offering them medical benefits or insurance discounts when they relinquish their licenses.
A researcher at the Samsung Traffic Safety Research Institute proposed that the government start providing senior citizens with a "100-won taxi," which would be an ideal solution considered most safe and most affordable.
Some of the other alternatives I suggest are free car pools provided exclusively for senior citizens by local governments and complimentary chauffeur services. This I believe is a true win-win game as the government can both benefit the elderly drivers as well as create new jobs.
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Started in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name Abigal Van Buren, Dear Abby has maintained its popularity as over 1,200 newspapers worldwide have published the column.
One of the stories I remember from past columns is about a senior driver who sought advice from Dear Abby. The elderly man in his 70s living in the U.S. claimed that his poor vision and declining motor skills brought on by his age no longer enabled him to drive long-distances. He said that he heavily relied on his neighbors for his mobility, which varied from every day grocery shopping to regular visits to his doctors.
Kind enough to help out this elderly man, the good-hearted family next door was willing to take him downtown along with them for daily chores. Whenever the man knocked on their door, he was gladly accepted. Or so it seemed.
After a few months of lending a helping hand to the old man, the "gracious" family members started to change their attitude.
The elderly man was not refused the rides with his neighbors but instead was met with one unexpected factor _ a dog. Knowing that the man was allergic to dogs, the family started bringing along the canine pet on every ride with him.
Frustrated by the family's sudden change in attitude, the man turned to Dear Abby for advice. And the columnist recommended that the man arrange dates with the neighbor when he wants to continue asking for free rides and repay their favors with small presents or payments in return.
The National Police Agency announced recently that it would seek to revise current license regulations to require senior drivers to take license renewal tests more frequently. Current regulations demand that drivers aged 65 and older renew their licenses every five years, but the revised plan would require drivers aged 75 and older to renew their licenses every three years.
Recent data released by the Samsung Traffic Safety Research Institute show that accidents caused by drivers aged 65 and older grew from 13,596 cases in 2011 to 23,063 in 2015.
Data also indicate that accidents involving senior drivers increased 70 percent and deaths related to senior drivers increased 40 percent during the past five years.
The police say that the number increases dramatically when it comes to senior citizens who account for the largest part of the driving population in rural areas who mostly drive farm tractors and other agricultural vehicles for their livings.
The number of accidents involving farming vehicles recorded in rural areas was 435 last year and the number of deaths in these accidents increased to 75 in 2015 from 39 in 2010. Among the 435 accidents, senior drivers were involved in 75 percent of them.
There is no doubt that regulations about senior drivers need to be strictly reinforced as the rapidly aging population is one of the biggest issues Korea is faced with.
Many countries have adopted different measures to minimize accidents relating to senior drivers. In Japan, for example, drivers aged 75 and older are required to be tested for Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive functions. Some U.S. states and European countries require senior drivers to take road tests and follow up with their doctors in submitting medical information when renewing driver's licenses.
Just as important as reinforcing regulations, the government needs to come up with countermeasures to solve the issue in the long term.
Some of the suggested solutions include providing senior citizens with transportation expenses for returning their driver's licenses or offering them medical benefits or insurance discounts when they relinquish their licenses.
A researcher at the Samsung Traffic Safety Research Institute proposed that the government start providing senior citizens with a "100-won taxi," which would be an ideal solution considered most safe and most affordable.
Some of the other alternatives I suggest are free car pools provided exclusively for senior citizens by local governments and complimentary chauffeur services. This I believe is a true win-win game as the government can both benefit the elderly drivers as well as create new jobs.
