A 30-year old pedestrian was killed by a 96-year-old driver on Tuesday in Seoul, sparking concerns over elderly drivers.

According to police, the driver surnamed Yoo caused the accident in front of the parking garage of a hotel in Cheongdam-dong at around 6:20 p.m.

Yoo hit a wall of the garage by accident before crashing into a vehicle behind while backing up. However, the driver did not stop reversing and the car rammed into a 30-year-old woman. The victim was sent to a hospital but she was pronounced dead.

Police have been investigating the case based on footage from the hotel’s security cameras and eyewitness accounts.

In Korea, there are about 1.37 million people over the age of 70 with driver’s licenses.

According to data from Koroad, the number of accidents caused by senior drivers over 65 years old has increased every year since 2013. In 2017, about 12.3 percent of car accidents in Korea were caused by senior drivers.

Since this year, the government has required drivers over 75 years old to take a test and renew their licenses every three years, shortening the period from the previous five years.

By Park Ju-young (jupark@heraldcorp.com)