Scene of a lethal crash that killed or injured 14 folks in northern Seoul’s Eunpyeong district on Feb. 29. The motive force claimed sudden acceleration triggered the incident, including to a sequence of comparable circumstances underneath investigation nationwide. (Newsis)
Automobiles accelerating out of a driver’s management is a standard concern amongst South Korean drivers, with suspected circumstances ceaselessly highlighted within the native media.
Nevertheless, a forensic evaluation of 364 alleged incidents discovered no circumstances with adequate proof to verify sudden unintended accelerations had occurred. In all 321 circumstances the place evaluation was attainable, drivers had pressed the accelerator – opposite to their claims of hitting the brake.
In its report Wednesday, the Nationwide Forensic Service, the federal government’s forensics arm, shared its evaluation of the suspected SUA circumstances from 2020 by way of this yr. It concluded that there have been zero confirmed cases of SUA in all investigated circumstances, except for 43 circumstances the place the automobiles have been too broken for full evaluation.
To research, the NFS officers examined occasion information recorders – basically a automobile’s “black field” – which observe the whole lot from automobile pace to brake utility, throttle place and steering angle right down to the millisecond. These tamper-proof units give exact information about what occurs within the moments earlier than a crash and are actually broadly accepted as proof in courts worldwide, together with the US.
The NFS backed up its findings with bodily proof as nicely.
In a high-profile automobile crash close to Seoul Metropolis Corridor which left 9 pedestrians lifeless and 4 injured, NFS evaluation discovered marks from the fuel pedal on the driving force’s shoe sole, which contradicted his claims that he had utilized brakes however the automobile malfunctioned.
With this proof, the Seoul Central District Court docket issued an arrest warrant. The motive force now faces involuntary manslaughter expenses.
“The scientific reality of so-called SUAs is easy – drivers are urgent the fuel as a substitute of the brake in moments of panic,” an NFS official informed native media. “Whenever you suspect your automobile’s having this concern, the very first thing to do is to get your foot off the pedal.”
