Continued improvement in Japan’s road safety

Improved road safety in Japan has been revealed, following the release of the latest official statistics. During 2016 there were 3,904 road deaths in Japan, a drop of 213 from the previous year. The data is significant as this is the lowest level of recorded road fatalities for 67 years and the first time in this period that road deaths have dropped below 4,000. The reasons for Japan’s improved road safety are thought to include better road design, safer vehicles and gains in traffic safety education measur
January 5, 2017 Read time: 1 min
Improved road safety in Japan has been revealed, following the release of the latest official statistics. During 2016 there were 3,904 road deaths in Japan, a drop of 213 from the previous year. The data is significant as this is the lowest level of recorded road fatalities for 67 years and the first time in this period that road deaths have dropped below 4,000. The reasons for Japan’s improved road safety are thought to include better road design, safer vehicles and gains in traffic safety education measures. The gains in road safety are expected to continue in future years and the target by the Japanese Government is to cut road deaths to 2,500/year or lower by 2020.

Related Content

  • Europe’s drive for safer roads sets new targets
    January 9, 2019
    Europe’s drive for improved road safety will see new targets being set. Previous ambitious plans to reduce road casualty rates have not been achieved, so new strategies are being devised. The European Transport Safety Commission (ETSC) is setting out its latest plans. In 2010, the European Union renewed its commitment to improve road safety by setting a target of reducing road deaths by 50% by 2020, compared to 2010 levels. This target followed an earlier target set in 2001 to halve road deaths by 2010. A n
    Read More
  • Study reveals poor road safety for Middle East
    April 23, 2014
    Road safety in the Middle East continues to decline, according to the latest data available. There were 945,000 road crashes in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in 2012, a rise from the 853,700 in 2011 according to a recent study. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have particularly poor records for road safety. Saudi Arabia had 589,258 crashes in 2012 while Qatar had 252,614 crashes in the same period. In particular, Saudi Arabia is said to have 19.1 road fatalities/day, on average, based on figures from the General
    Read More
  • Addressing a silent disaster
    September 24, 2012
    As India's economy registers 9% annual growth, promising material super-power status by mid-century, the nation is barely beginning to address a silent disaster, that of road casualties It was Dr. P K Sikdar [a director of International Consultants and Technocrats/ICT and a former director of the Central Road Research Institute/CRRI] who coined the phrase "silent disaster."
    Read More
  • US pedestrian deaths fall but still high
    November 26, 2024
    According to analysis from the Governors Highway Safety Association - GHSA – annual US pedestrian traffic deaths fell for first time since the pandemic, but are still above the pre-pandemic level.
    Read More

Highlighted Content