On March 10, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS) announced the launch of the second round of its 2026 Pedal Misapplication Prevention Device distribution program, aimed at reducing pedal-misapplication crashes involving older drivers.
This second round covers vehicle owners aged 65 and older who operate private taxis, private small freight vehicles with a maximum payload of 1.4 tons or less, and owner-operated general freight trucks. The move expands eligibility beyond the corporate taxis covered in the program’s first phase to include a broader segment of senior professional drivers.
The pedal-misapplication prevention device is an advanced safety system designed to prevent accidents that occur when drivers confuse the accelerator and brake. If the vehicle is traveling at 15 km/h (about 9.3 mph) or less and the accelerator is depressed more than 80%, or if engine speed reaches 4,500 rpm, the unit cuts the acceleration signal to neutralize unintended acceleration.
The device also imposes a top speed limit of 140 km/h (about 87.0 mph) and integrates GPS-based speed-camera location data. When a vehicle exceeds the speed limit within roughly 250 m (about 820 ft) ahead of a known speed camera, the system intervenes to control acceleration.
This year the TS plans to subsidize a total of 3,260 units. Applications for 1,360 corporate taxis were accepted in the program’s first announcement; the second round will allocate the remaining units: 1,300 private taxis, 470 private small freight vehicles, and 130 owner-operated general freight trucks.
Subsidies are calculated against an installation cost of 400,000 KRW per unit (about $300). The TS will cover 320,000 KRW (about $240) per unit, leaving an owner co-pay of 80,000 KRW (about $60) — an 80% subsidy.
Eligible applicants must be transport workers aged 65 or older as of the month before the announcement, must be both the registered owner and the primary driver of the vehicle, and must operate vehicles with a maximum payload of 1.4 tons or less.
Applications open at 10 a.m. on the 17th and close at 6 p.m. on the 30th. Applicants can submit forms in person, by mail, email, or fax to their local city/province private taxi transport business cooperative, private (delivery) freight automobile transport business association, or freight automobile transport business association.
Submitted applications will be evaluated within each region’s allocation, with priority given to the oldest eligible drivers. TS will notify each cooperative, association, and applicant individually of the selection results.
TS Director Jeong Yong-sik said, "We will do our best to reduce accidents caused by pedal misapplication by supporting installations in private taxis and small freight vehicles. After installation, we will analyze device performance and conduct follow-up management to improve the program’s effectiveness."
