On the 17th, the National Police Agency and the Korea Road Traffic Authority announced that, starting in August, the process for conducting regular aptitude tests for high-risk drivers will be expedited. This procedure evaluates whether drivers with conditions such as dementia or other mental and physical disabilities can safely maintain their licenses. With a recent increase in traffic accidents involving dementia patients, there have been calls for strengthening these evaluations; however, the existing system has taken too long to identify these individuals and proceed with license cancellations, which underscored the need for reform.

To address this, the National Police Agency has amended the Road Traffic Act's enforcement decree and rules to streamline the process from identification to examination and potential license cancellation. This amendment will take effect on August 1st, significantly reducing the timeframe for notifying external agencies about individuals subject to the aptitude tests from quarterly to monthly. Previously, the testing process could take as long as 10 months due to delays in identifying candidates for the examination, but this change aims to ensure quicker evaluation and intervention for high-risk drivers.

Additionally, the revised policy will shorten the examination period for high-risk drivers. Previously, individuals had up to three months to take their tests after a notification period of 20 days, potentially extending the administrative process beyond 10 months. Under the new guidelines, only one testing period will be allocated, shortening the overall process to approximately 5.5 months. Kim Ho-seung, head of the National Police Agency’s Life Safety Traffic Department, emphasized that these measures aim to enhance traffic safety by better managing high-risk drivers and stated plans for ongoing improvements to adapt to changing traffic conditions.