Potentially Effective Measures to Deal with Elderly Drivers and Additional Measures Involving the Elderly in Japan

Over the past few years, the number of traffic fatalities and the number of individuals injured in traffic accidents in Japan have decreased [1]. From 2006 to 2016, the number of fatalities within 30 days of a traffic accident decreased annually in Japan from 7,336 in 2006 to 4,838 in 2014. However, the number increased slightly to 4,885 in 2015, though it decreased again to 4,698 in 2016. From 2006 to 2016, the number of individuals injured in traffic accidents decreased annually in Japan from 1,098,564 in 2006 to 618,853 in 2016. We previously examined detailed trends in traffic fatalities by age group in Japan, Germany, and France [2]. In the study, individuals ages 25–64 accounted for a large proportion of traffic fatalities in Germany and France, but the elderly age 65 or older accounted for a large proportion of traffic fatalities in Japan. The elderly accounted for 20.2% of Japan’s population in 2005, 23.0% in 2010, and 26.7% in 2015 [3], so the elderly represent a growing proportion of the population.