Japan’s safer roads see casualties fall

Japan has seen its road safety levels improve significantly in 2017, compared with the previous year. Data compiled by Japan’s National Police Agency shows that there were 3,694 traffic fatalities in the country in 2017, a drop of 210 from the previous year. There were 1,171 pedestrian fatalities, a drop of 1% from the previous year. Meanwhile vehicle occupants accounted for 1,106 deaths and 436 cyclists were killed in crashes. According to the authorities, tougher enforcement of road traffic rules played
January 10, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Japan has seen its road safety levels improve significantly in 2017, compared with the previous year. Data compiled by Japan’s 2343 National Police Agency shows that there were 3,694 traffic fatalities in the country in 2017, a drop of 210 from the previous year. There were 1,171 pedestrian fatalities, a drop of 1% from the previous year. Meanwhile vehicle occupants accounted for 1,106 deaths and 436 cyclists were killed in crashes.

According to the authorities, tougher enforcement of road traffic rules played a major role in lowering Japan’s road casualty rate. Another key factor was the lower rate of drunk driving, a drop of 5.6% to 201 incidents in 2017.

The road fatality rate for Japan in 2017 of 3,694 makes a strong contrast with the figures for 1970, when there were 16.765 road deaths. Along with all other developed nations, Japan has seen its road casualty rate drop since the peak of the 1970s due to a combination of factors that include safer vehicles (with better brakes, handling and occupant protection) and crackdowns on speeding and drink driving.

What is of note amidst the Japanese road casualty figures for 2017 is that road fatalities among those aged 65 and above still accounted for 54.7% of the total road deaths for the year. This is in spite of the fatality rate for drivers aged 65 and over dropping to 2,020 in 2017 compared with 2,138 in 2016.

New safety features in vehicles are thought to have helped in lowering the crash rate for older drivers, as have campaigns encouraging people to take health checks or give up their driving licences as they become less fit to get drive.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK road safety sees good and bad
    February 5, 2016
    There is both good and bad to be seen in the latest data on UK road safety from the Department for Transport (DfT). For the year ending September 2015 there were 23,700 killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties, a 3% decrease compared with the previous year. However road deaths increased by 3% to 1,780, compared with 1,731 for the year ending September 2014. There were also 188,830 reported road casualties of all severities, 3% lower than for the year ending September 2014. Of note is the fact that motor
    Read More
  • Road safety challenge for Europe
    December 3, 2012
    Europe’s road safety drive is highlighting key issues - Mike Woof reports In Europe there is a growing understanding that alcohol use amongst drivers still has to be tackled effectively. Accident data reveals that safety standards are improving across most European countries, with steady reductions in numbers of serious injuries and fatalities. But there remains a problem with alcohol use amongst many drivers and it is amongst this group that accident levels have not fallen. In Spain in particular, there ha
    Read More
  • Japan’s older drivers face more checks
    July 26, 2017
    A new study in Japan has highlighted the need to address the ability of older drivers to optimise road safety and cut crashes. The study looked specifically at how best to avoid road crashes caused by a deterioration in the physical condition of each driver. This research was carried out by Keio University's Center for Integrated Medical Research's Mineko Baba. Japanese road crash data shows that in 2016, there were 459 fatal incidents involving drivers aged 75 years or over.
    Read More
  • Netherlands road risk for cyclists
    April 30, 2018
    A change in road risk has been seen in the Netherlands, with more cyclists than drivers being killed on the country’s roads in 2017. The data came from the Dutch statistics bureau, CBS. The research suggests that there are two key factors in this change. Firstly, motor vehicles are generally safer now than in the past, with better crash protection and other safety technologies. Meanwhile an increase in the numbers and performance of electric bicycles and their use by a greater number of older riders is
    Read More

Highlighted Content