Traffic accident fatalities in 2012 decrease for 12th year in a row
TOKYO —
The number of traffic accident fatalities nationwide in 2012 was 4,411, a decrease for the 12th year in a row, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Friday. It was also the first time since 1951 that the number of fatalities was lower than 4,500, the NPA said.
The NPA attributed the decrease to a crackdown on drunk driving (which accounted for 252 deaths) and a campaign to raise awareness of seatbelt use, TBS reported.
The NPA added that 2,264 fatalities—or 51.3%—were individuals aged 65 or older.
Aichi Prefecture recorded the most deaths, with 235, followed by Hokkaido and Saitama with 200 each, the Tokyo metropolitan area with 183 and Osaka with 182. Tottori Prefecture reported the fewest, with 30.
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0
Disillusioned
I am wondering if this decrease in fatalities is actually due to an increase in policing or just a decrease in the amount of eligible drivers.
-1
letsberealistic
Happily, this is a world-wide phenomena due to safer cars, fewer drivers and more people using public transport, better policing and stricter rules (not the case in Japan for the last two though).
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nandakandamanda
Looks good at first sight.
Sorry to see old people being taken out like this though. These figures are only for those who died within 24 hours, (Japan does not count traffic deaths occurring any later) so let's hope they went quickly.
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basroil
DisillusionedJan. 05, 2013 - 10:37AM JST
More than eligible drivers, drivers with their own cars. Younger people can't even afford cars anymore (unless it's a 5-10 year old junker and they live in the middle of nowhere), so it's not surprising at all that half the deaths (and likely far more of the non-fatal accidents) are elderly folks with far more money than their grandchildren.
Interestingly, suicide related traffic deaths are higher than drunk driving related traffic deaths.
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