South Korea is debating whether to install mandatory “pedal cameras” in cars after a spate of fatal traffic accidents in which drivers blamed their vehicles.
A tragedy this month when a car mounted the pavement in central Seoul, killing nine pedestrians, has reignited calls in the national parliament for the cameras, which would capture drivers’ foot movements to resolve disputes over the cause of accidents.
The 68-year-old driver claimed the accident was caused by sudden unintended acceleration, or SUA, and that the brakes were “stiff”, and did not function at the time of the crash.
On Monday, the National Forensic Service concluded he was probably at fault. It said he had pressed the accelerator to 90 per cent of its full capacity while driving in the wrong direction for some 200 metres on a one-way road and crashing into guardrails.
The Korea Herald reported that, according to the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, 766 accidents were blamed on SUA between 2010 and 2022, but official investigations found none were caused by car defects.
Sudden unintended acceleration is when a car suddenly speeds by itself without the driver applying pressure to the accelerator. It could be caused by electronic or mechanical faults, software bugs, or by human error.
South Korea has been divided over how to respond to the growing claims about the phenomenon.
Last week, Lee Heon-seung, a member of the ruling People Power Party, tabled a bill to require car manufacturers to install built-in pedal cameras.
But Park Sang-woo, the transport minister, objected to the move, proposing instead that individual customers fit their own devices.
He said compulsory pedal cameras could affect car exports from South Korea, where brands include Hyundai and Kia, as no other country has a similar requirement.
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