걷다가 '꽝'...노인 교통사고 막는다

More than half of all elderly people experience traffic accidents due to a decline in their physical and cognitive abilities.
Korean researchers have developed a customized device to help elderly pedestrians to get around more safely.
Park Se-young has more.
Around 37-hundred people were killed in traffic accidents in 2018.
Of them, 45 percent were pedestrians aged 65 or above.
Due to physical and cognitive decline, more than half of the elderly population get in traffic accidents.
"A motorcycle sprang out on the street a couple of days ago and we almost crashed. My hearing has gone bad and so has my judgment."
To help the elderly get around safely, Korean researchers have developed a mobility scooter with autonomous vehicle technology.
Based on the analysis of movements, the scooter is shaped and sized to fit the driver.
It's equipped with ultrasonic sensors, laser sensors and a stereo camera to detect obstacles and slopes.
The scooter does not speed up when going downhill, …and automatically slows down with sound alerts when obstacles come within two-point-eight meters.
"It does not slow down when going uphill and goes at a fixed speed …so that older people with cognitive impairment can drive intuititively."
When the drivers choose their desired speed, the scooter can drive autonomously at that speed.
When commercialized, the researchers believe it will help elderly people to get around more easily and safely.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.