This photo shows a crash site involving 53 vehicles in Wonju, Gangwon Province, Nov. 27. Yonhap
A record number of drivers have requested the National Forensic Service this year for an analysis of their car crashes, claiming the vehicles "suddenly accelerated" on their own, data showed Sunday, but no case has been determined to have been caused by vehicle defects.
From January to October this year, the forensic agency analyzed a total of 114 car crashes claiming to have been caused by sudden unintended acceleration, exceeding the 105 cases filed in all of last year, according to reports submitted to Rep. Jo Eun-hui of the ruling People Power Party (PPP).
Of the 382 cases filed in the past five years from 2020 to October, none has been determined to have been caused by sudden unexpected acceleration, the same data showed.
Over 85 percent, or 327 out of the total 382 cases, were found to have been caused by the driver mistakenly stepping on the accelerator. The rest of the cases could not be evaluated due to the high level of damage to the vehicles in the accidents or their lack of event data recorders, according to the forensic agency.
Out of the total, 148, or 45.3 percent, of drivers in such accidents were people in their 60s, accounting for the largest share, followed by those in their 70s at 27.2 percent and those in their 50s at 18 percent.
A forensic agency official said the probability of actual sudden unintended acceleration occurring may be lower than "being hit by lightning." (Yonhap)
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