The number of fatal motor accidents last year in Japan involving drivers who were 75 or older grew by 33 cases from 2021 to 379, increasing for the second straight year as the country's population continues to age, police data showed Thursday.
Cases in which the driver was most at fault as "first party" accounted for 16.7 percent of all accidents, the highest since 1986, when comparable data became available, according to the National Police Agency.
Of the 379 incidents, 30.1 percent were caused by mishaps such as the driver mistakenly stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake.
By accident type, the highest involved crashing into a pole or sign, making up a total of 24.4 percent, followed by 15.8 percent occurring when a pedestrian was crossing the street and 15.2 percent caused by a vehicle veering off of the road.
Due to the rise in fatal accidents by elderly drivers, the agency started requiring drivers aged 75 or older with a history of certain violations to take a driving skills test when renewing their driver's license.
In 2022, Japan saw a total of 300,839 accidents involving drivers of motorcycles and cars, with deaths and serious injuries hitting a new record low of 2,610 and 26,027, respectively.
The data showed deaths and injuries of pedestrians who were out as tourists or for recreation, dining, or being given a lift increased from 2 to 11 percent, apparently affected by the easing of COVID-19 restrictions from the past two years.
Accidents involving electric scooters rose by 12 cases from a year earlier to 41. One death was recorded, a first since data on scooters began in 2020, while 41 people were injured, up by 11.
Two-wheeled scooters have been attracting a growing number of users in Japan, especially in metropolitan areas. Users will no longer require a driver's license from July this year to ride them.
Deaths caused by drunken driving fell from the previous year by 32 cases to 120.
The number of elementary school children who were killed or seriously injured also fell by 91 from a year earlier to 618, with fatalities falling by seven to nine. Around 40 percent of children who were killed or injured as pedestrians were on their way to or from school.
A total of 336 cyclists were killed in 2022. While all cyclists will be advised to wear helmets from April, less than 10 percent of those who were killed or injured had been wearing one.
