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Road safety under scrutiny in Japan and New Zealand

Road safety is under scrutiny in Japan and New Zealand.
By MJ Woof January 18, 2023 Read time: 1 min
Japan and New Zealand are taking steps to reduce the annual road crash casualty rate – image © courtesy of Petra Schwimmbeck

The Japanese Government is pledging to improve the country’s road safety record. Official police data shows that 2,610 people were killed in road crashes in Japan during 2022.

This is a drop of just 26 from 2021 but is the lowest road death rate for Japan since these figures began to be compiled in 1948. However, the Japanese Government intends to lower the country’s road crash fatalities further and is aiming to reduce the casualty rate to less than 2,000/year by 2025. The official figures for road crashes are compiled by Japan’s National Police Agency. 

Meanwhile, New Zealand saw road deaths climb to 378 for 2022, an increase of 60 from the figures for 2021. New Zealand performs poorly in terms of road safety, with the country’s government aiming to improve this and reduce annual casualty rates.
 

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