KB Financial Group will support the free installation of “pedal misapplication prevention devices” for 740 elderly drivers, in a project worth about 300 million won.

KB Financial said on Aug. 31 it has begun full-scale vehicle installations under a “pedal misapplication prevention device support project” 추진 with the National Police Agency, the Korea Road Traffic Authority and the Citizens’ Coalition for Safety Living.

The project targets 740 drivers aged 65 and older who applied in advance at 19 driver’s licence test centres nationwide. It will install the devices free of charge in eligible vehicles and also provide safe-driving consultations.

At the Wonju Driver's License Test Center in Gangwon Province on the day, the device was installed in vehicles of elderly drivers who applied in advance. The event also included a live demonstration using an actual vehicle and safe-driving consultations. It was the first on-site case in which the elderly driver traffic safety support project, launched in July, led to installation in real vehicles.

The pedal misapplication prevention device suppresses sudden acceleration to reduce accident risk if abnormal operation occurs, such as a driver sharply pressing the accelerator pedal.

KB Financial recruited eligible recipients through driver’s licence test centres across the country, not only in the Seoul metropolitan area. It plans to support accident prevention among elderly drivers by providing both device installation and safe-driving consultations.

A KB Financial official said, “We will continue to provide daily-life safety support that reduces risks that can arise in everyday life in advance by cooperating with relevant agencies.”