Japanese road safety; addressing ageing drivers

The Japanese authorities are taking steps to ensure greater road safety for ageing drivers. This follows data showing that elderly drivers are involved ina worryingly high number of serious road crashes in Japan. And with the age demographic of the country increasing, the problem looks likely to grow unless addressed effectively. As a result, older drivers will be able to benefit from fixed charges for using taxis, in a bid to tempt them away from using their own cars. Older drivers may also face changes t
June 27, 2019 Read time: 1 min
The Japanese authorities are taking steps to ensure greater road safety for ageing drivers. This follows data showing that elderly drivers are involved ina  worryingly high number of serious road crashes in Japan. And with the age demographic of the country increasing, the problem looks likely to grow unless addressed effectively. As a result, older drivers will be able to benefit from fixed charges for using taxis, in a bid to tempt them away from using their own cars. Older drivers may also face changes to regulations, requiring them to drive only those vehicles equipped with the latest safety technology. This last issue will be decided by the Japanese Government in the second quarter of 2020. A requirement for all new vehicles to be fitted with automatic braking technology will also be reviewed at the same time.

Related Content

  • Smartphones provide serious threat to driving safety
    March 15, 2013
    Research into the risks posed by the use of smartphones by drivers has revealed extremely worrying results. An international study into this field has shown that using cellphones to send texts while at the wheel can deliver significant risks for vehicle occupants as well as others. The study has shown that sending texts while at the wheel presents a similar safety risk to being 25% over the legal limit for alcohol in the bloodstream. In addition the study has shown that using hands-free telephone technology
    Read More
  • World road safety status hits plateau
    May 27, 2016
    The World Health Organisation has published a new report on road safety during 2015. Its global status report uses information from 180 countries and indicates that the total number of road traffic deaths has plateaued at 1.25 million/year worldwide. The annual global road fatality rate has remained roughly the same since 2007, a point worth noting considering growing vehicle numbers around the globe. Low income countries remain those of most concern for this report as in previous years. But some progress i
    Read More
  • IAM calls for national driving health checks for elderly drivers
    March 27, 2014
    The UK-based IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) is calling on the British government to introduce a national strategy of driving health checks and better information for elderly drivers and their families. The call comes after a poll showing that 42% of the population are worried about an elderly relative driving, yet they are unlikely to do anything about it. The IAM and Vision Critical poll of 1,297 people shows that while concern about elderly drivers is evident, acting on our concerns is another
    Read More
  • Adopting driverless vehicles could boost road safety
    February 10, 2016
    A new report suggests that making all vehicles autonomous could prevent up to 95% of all traffic crashes. But the report also highlights how government and industry need to urgently address the barriers to adoption, regulatory and insurance issues. This new report has been produced by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in the UK. It calls for urgent action by both government and industry to encourage the greater use of autonomous and driverless vehicles.
    Read More

Highlighted Content