Road traffic accident numbers in Japan 2014-2023
In 2023, approximately 307.9 thousand road traffic accidents were recorded in Japan, up from about 573.8 thousand in 2014. The calls by the authorities to 'stay home' due to the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to have contributed to the lowest rate recorded. Accordingly, there was a reduction in fatalities and injuries.
Traffic safety as national policy in Japan
Since the 1970s, the Japanese government has announced a new Fundamental Traffic Safety Program every five years (11th program: FY 2021 to FY 2025). The government’s ultimate goal is to achieve a society without traffic accidents. The numbers of recent years seem to be encouraging: not only have they decreased overall, but numbers have also reduced relative to population size, the number of registered vehicles, or the distance traveled. Consequently, Japan has one of the lowest ratios of traffic fatalities per capita in international comparison.
However, the rapidly aging society impacts the case fatality rate, which has increased in the past decade. Therefore, if people get hurt in accidents, they have become more likely to suffer death. This problem holds especially true for the elderly, the only age group whose risk has increased.
Circumventing all too human errors
Since driving is a complex action, people are likely to neglect safety precautions (consciously or unconsciously). However, by improving the traffic environment, one can prevent risky situations. In this regard, systems like ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) have contributed enormously. New technologies ‘connect’ the automobile to its surroundings - whether it is the road infrastructure, other vehicles, cloud systems, or pedestrians - progressing more and more in the field of autonomous driving.
While the connected car emphasizes the automobile itself, the Intelligent Transport System (ITS), for example, focuses on the infrastructure itself. Besides car navigation systems, the ITS in Japan includes the Vehicle Information and Communication System (VICS) and the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC). The ETC, which is more than a mere charging device, bi-directionally communicates data between the vehicle and the road infrastructure. The improved ETC 2.0 system is likely to become the new standard, thereby paving the road for big data technology. These kinds of advances contribute to mitigating accidents.
