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

  • Defective eyesight, a road safety concern?
    February 16, 2012
    Failing eyesight presents safety problems for Europe's older drivers. A new report highlights substantial variation in the assessment of drivers' vision across Europe, and recommends that Member States make moves to better assess drivers' vision. Checking the vision of drivers plays a valuable role in the EU's target of halving road deaths across the EU by 2020. The aim is to achieve this road safety improvement by legislative means that change driver behaviour, raise the technical standards of vehicles and
    Read More
  • Older drivers in the US hit record numbers
    December 20, 2017
    The number of older drivers on the US road network continues to increase. According to the latest data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the number of drivers on the US road network hit a record- high in 2016 at 221.7 million. Of these, 41.7 million are 65 years or older. This age group is growing faster than any other, and is far outpacing their teenage counterparts.
    Read More
  • Thailand’s dangerous days for festival
    April 20, 2018
    Thailand’s recent Songkran Festival period saw a worrying spike in road crashes and fatalities. There were 418 road deaths over the seven day festival period, held in April, an increase of 7% over the 390 fatalities recorded for the event in 2017. The Road Safety Centre's report said that the number of crashes during the seven day festival hit 3,724 for 2018, compared with 3,690 in 2017, while injuries grew to 3,897 in 2018 from 3,808 in 2017.
    Read More
  • Reduced traffic may not mean fewer crashes
    May 8, 2020
    Reduced traffic may not mean that there are fewer crashes on the world’s roads.
    Read More

Highlighted Content