Fatal accidents by elderly drivers drop in Jan.-June

September 14, 2017

TOKYO- The number of fatal accidents in Japan caused by drivers aged 75 or older totaled 190 in January-June, down by 28 from the corresponding period last year, the National Police Agency said Thursday.

The total accounted for 12.9 percent of all fatal traffic accidents in the half-year period, down 0.8 percentage point, the NPA said.

This is the first time in two years that both figures logged year-on-year declines.

In March, the revised road traffic law came into force in order to strengthen dementia checks for drivers aged 75 or older.

But an NPA official said it is not clear whether there is a causal connection between the revised law and the drop in the number of fatal accidents, adding that the agency will keep a watch on further developments.

According the NPA, some 143,200 people who were 75 years old or over voluntarily surrendered their driver licenses in January-July, nearing the annual total of about 162,300 people last year. Jiji Press