The Supreme Court upheld a High Court ruling on Sunday against plaintiff Park, who sued Daewoo Motors for damages over an accident caused by the sudden acceleration of his vehicle. This case is expected to set influential precedents for similar cases.

The court said that according to engineering specs, sudden acceleration is unlikely to occur. It cited both domestic and international traffic safety institutions and placed the blame squarely on the plaintiff, saying that stepping on the accelerating pedal too hard caused the accident.

However, victims in cases of sudden acceleration and consumer institutions are criticizing the court decision saying that there is now no way for the consumers to receive compensation.

Lim Ki-sang, chairman of the Association for Experienced Drivers, said that since 1994, more than 2,000 cases of sudden acceleration were reported to consumer institutions. He added that because victims must prove to the court the cause of the sudden acceleration, consumers are at a disadvantage during the trial.

From 1999, when the accidents caused by sudden acceleration occurred in both domestic and imported cars, the issue of sudden acceleration became the subject of hot debate. However, none of the Korean accident victims were adequately protected.

In 1999 the Ministry of Construction and Transportation examined 12 vehicles by three big motor companies, Hyundai, Kia and Daewoo, but concluded that there are no mechanical shortcomings in the cars that could cause sudden acceleration.

In the United States, car manufacturers have lost similar court cases since the late 1990s. Nissan, Audi and GM have also lost court cases relating to sudden acceleration, and in 1996, Chrysler agreed to refit their Jeep Cherokees free of charge.

(Kim Jong-ho, tellme@chosun.com )