TOKYO, March 2 (Xinhua) — The variety of deadly visitors accidents attributable to drivers aged 75 or over in Japan in 2022 grew by 33 circumstances from the previous 12 months to 379, rising for the second straight 12 months because the nation faces fast inhabitants growing older, police knowledge confirmed Thursday.
National Police Agency (NPA) knowledge confirmed that of all deadly visitors accidents final 12 months, these involving aged drivers accounted for 16.7 %, up from 15.1 % in 2021 and the best since comparable knowledge grew to become obtainable in 1986.
Of the 379 deadly vehicle accidents, 30.1 % had been attributable to driving errors similar to the motive force mistakenly stepping on the accelerator as an alternative of the brake, based on the NPA.
The variety of deadly visitors accidents per 100,000 aged individuals with driver’s licenses got here to five.7, greater than double 2.5 per 100,000 drivers aged below 75, the info confirmed.
The NPA estimates that one of many causes behind the rise is a rise within the inhabitants of individuals aged 75 or over with driver’s licenses.
Those born between 1947 and 1949, or first child boomers, have began to succeed in 75. The inhabitants stood at some 6.67 million in 2022.