A passenger car drove into a convenience store in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. The vehicle entered toward the store's doorway, and no injuries were reported.

Police are examining whether the driver confused the accelerator and brake pedals while parking. Some fixtures in the store were damaged.

A Recurring Pattern

Vehicles entering shops from front-facing parking bays are not unusual. Where bays face the entrance directly, a single pedal error leads straight indoors.

Physical measures that reduce such incidents include bollards, kerbs and wheel stops. They cost little and work plainly enough that some countries have written them into design standards for commercial premises.

As such crashes recur in South Korea, calls for protective installations in front of shops have grown. Because they are not mandatory, the decision rests with individual storeowners.

The Problem of Pedal Error

Studies conclude that confusing accelerator and brake is not confined to any age group. It can happen to anyone when an unfamiliar vehicle, a tight space and a moment of panic coincide.

Recent models increasingly include systems that limit acceleration when an obstacle is detected at low speed. Older vehicles have no such feature, so for now the physical design of parking areas remains the more practical answer.