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

  • Working towards safer India mobility...
    July 18, 2012
    Sibylle Rupprecht, IRF-GPC Director General, looks towards sound mobility management at the 3rd Regional Conference of the International Road Federation 3rd-4th October 2008 in New Delhi, India More than 1.2 million deaths and 23 million injuries are caused by road accidents worldwide every year. Of these, India accounts for 10% of fatal accidents. These alarming figures were disclosed by the speakers at the 3rd Regional IRF Conference on 'Mobility and Safety in Road Transport' to some 250 engineers and exp
    Read More
  • Thailand’s major road safety problem
    October 23, 2015
    Thailand has a serious problem with regard to road safety, which needs to be addressed. This is leading to a high number of deaths and serious injuries, with a draining effect on the country’s economy as well as carrying a social impact. The 2015 Global Status Report on Road Safety published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that Thailand has the second-highest road-fatality figures globally. There were 14,059 people killed in road crashes in Thailand in 2012, with the country having a death rate
    Read More
  • Drink driving a concern for the UK
    August 28, 2019
    The rate of road crashes from drink driving remains a serious concern in the UK. In 2017, there were 220 road deaths in the UK attributable to drink driving, according to the latest figures from the Department for Transport (DfT), the same as for the previous year. However, there were 1,110 crashes caused by drink driving, an increase from the 1,010 from the previous year. In all, there were 8,600 deaths and serious injuries from road crashes in 2017, a drop from the 9,040 of the previous year but still hig
    Read More
  • Spanish road safety hits plateau
    January 7, 2016
    Strong measures in Spain have helped reduce the country’s road fatality rate enormously in recent years. Tougher enforcement of road rules commenced in 2004, with a notable drop in speeding and drink driving, resulting in a reduce rate of crashes. However a recent report from the Spanish motoring body RACC reveals that the figures have hit a plateau, with road fatalities for 2015 similar to those in 2014. This is the third consecutive year that Spain’s road fatality rates have remained broadly unchanged. Th
    Read More

Highlighted Content