I can't stop myself from driving even if I don't take "dementia medicine."urgent countermeasures

[Anchor]
On the 31st of last month, a driver in his 70s who caused a car crash at a traditional market in Seoul was found to have not taken medicine for 10 months even after being diagnosed with dementia.

Under the current law, dementia is a reason for disqualification from a driver's license, but if you hide your medical history, you will actually be in a blind spot, so countermeasures need to be prepared.

Reporter Kwon Min-seok's report.

[Reporter]
On the last day of 2024, a car driven by a 75-year-old man A rushed into Kkaebi Market in Mok-dong, Seoul, killing one person and injuring 12 others.

[Witness: There was dust over there and it became a mess in an instant. Fruits or something, I'm rolling around on the floor....]

Witnesses said they didn't seem to know that Mr. A had caused the accident,
In fact, it was found that A was diagnosed with dementia in November 2023 and took medicine for three months.

However, it is reported that he did not receive treatment or take additional dementia drugs for 10 months before the accident, despite his family's recommendation.

Mr. A, who did not have a history of traffic accidents in the past, renewed his type 1 normal license normally in September 2022.

The Road Traffic Act sets dementia as the reason for disqualification from a license, but you can drive if you pass an aptitude test based on the specialist's opinion that you can drive.

However, if the patient himself is tested for aptitude while hiding his medical history, it is difficult for traffic authorities to recognize the fact that he or she has dementia.

This is because the National Health Insurance Service provides information on those who are ineligible to drive to the police, but it is limited to those who have been treated for more than six months.

As a precautionary measure, only drivers aged 75 or older receive the screening test every three years.

For this reason, there have been consistent claims that third parties, such as doctors and family members, should be allowed to request occasional aptitude tests for those who are concerned about accidents.

[Kim Pilsoo / Professor of Automobile Department at Daelim University] The best thing is family. For example, if a child has a problem with his or her parents' poor driving sense, he or she persuades them about this.You know, we need a way to make it fundamentally impossible to drive.]

As of 2023, there are more than 4,747,000 elderly drivers over the age of 65, and the incidence of dementia over the age of 65 is about 1 in 10.

It is urgent to come up with measures as the number of elderly dementia drivers can increase rapidly by entering a super-aged society.

I'm Kwon Minseok of YTN.