Japan, where traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers have emerged as a social problem, is moving to introduce systems that allow vehicles to detect abnormal signs in drivers and prevent accidents. Following the mandatory adoption of pedal misoperation prevention devices, the government plans to reduce accidents among the elderly by incorporating functions that monitor driver conditions into safety evaluation standards.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on Sunday, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is considering including a "driver monitoring system," which detects when a driver's eyes leave the road or drowsiness, and a "driver emergency response system," which detects a driver's health abnormalities or reduced consciousness and automatically decelerates and stops the vehicle, in automobile safety performance evaluation standards (vehicle assessment).
The driver monitoring system is being discussed for inclusion in the fiscal 2028 evaluation standards, while the driver emergency response system will be introduced only after detailed standards are established. If the two functions are included in safety assessments, automakers are expected to expand their installation of the related devices.
The Japanese government has already been pushing to mandate safety devices to reduce accidents among elderly drivers. In 2020, it made collision-damage-reducing brakes mandatory for passenger cars, and in June last year, it decided to mandate devices that suppress sudden acceleration when the brake and accelerator pedals are confused. Those devices are scheduled to apply from September 2028.
However, accidents involving elderly drivers have shown little sign of decline. According to the ministry, fatal traffic accidents caused by drivers aged 65 and older accounted for 34% of all fatal accidents last year. That figure is 6 percentage points higher than the 28% recorded in 2015. In particular, among drivers aged 75 and older, the proportion of accidents involving steering errors or confusion between the accelerator and brake pedals reached 30%.
Accidents have continued to occur. In May, in Nagoya, a bus driven by an 85-year-old struck and killed two pedestrians. In November last year, in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture, a vehicle driven by a 78-year-old man crashed into a line of cars waiting at a signal, killing one person and leaving more than 10 others with serious or minor injuries.
The license management system is also expected to be overhauled. According to Jiji Press, Japan's National Police Agency has decided to revamp the driving skills test system currently in place for elderly drivers. At present, practical tests are administered to the top 10% of drivers aged 75 and older who have a history of traffic law violations, such as signal violations or speeding, over the past three years.
However, a follow-up study over the past two years found that elderly drivers who passed the skills test and renewed their licenses had an accident rate three times higher than that of elderly drivers who renewed their licenses without a test. As critics point out that the test alone cannot adequately screen out actual accident risks, Japanese authorities plan to comprehensively review the effectiveness of the license renewal system.
