장애인 자가운전 인식조사를 토대로 한 장애인운전지원센터 설치 및 관련제도 개선의 필요성

Abstract

This study conducted a survey to investigate a general awareness related to possibility of self-driving by the people with disabilities, which makes the people with disabilities and the people without disabilities the subjects of this survey, as a fundamental research to collect data needed to make self-driving by the people with severe physical disabilities possible in Korean society as in the developed countries like USA and Germany. The results of the survey revealed that both of the people with disabilities and the people without disabilities are thinking that the conditions for self-driving by the people with disabilities are not enough. The main problem of Korean driving license system for the people with disabilities comes from the adoption of Japanese system which depends on the assessment of the driving ability by the simulation machine rather than USA or German system which focuses on the assessment by the real modified automobile. To improve this situation, the foundation of the driving assistance center for the people with disabilities as in American or European countries is required. Another impeding factor in self-driving by the people of severe physical disabilities is the high cost for the remodeling of automobile and the attachment of the needed devices. The degree of disability is more severe, the cost is higher. To reduce the cost, the method to use the electric car which is recently permitted for real road driving because of the global environmental issues was discussed and, at the same time, the necessity of the skill development needed for the invention and attachment of the special driving control devices, the operation of the quality assurance program for driving safety and the financial assistance program for the people with disabilities to acquire an automobile modified to their disability situation was suggested.