Diet passes revision to Road Traffic Law to deal with elderly drivers

The new bill proposes that drivers over 75 involved in car accidents should be tested for dementia and be required to >retake a cognitive test in order to renew their driver’s license.

Why wait until AFTER they've had an accident to test for dementia? How about taking some preventative measures instead?

Something has to be done. My father-in-law is an accident waiting to happen, even though he has no dementia. I chew on the dashboard in fear if I ever have to ride with him.

I discovered something very disturbing when I renewed my Japanese drivers licence very recently.

While taking my vision test when renewing in my own country there was no way I could pass at all, in anyway without wearing my glasses, quite simply impossible. I now have a note on that licence I must wear glasses while driving, and in any case I simply wouldn't feel comfortable or safe without them, especially in the early evening.

Japan, a surprising and dangerous difference especially given the rapidly ageing population.

Me to officer (in Japanese), "I will probably need my glasses", Officer "try without", "OK I say"... several very blurry images later, "OK, passed", Me, total disbelief.

Watch out on the roads people!

NZ: That is pretty funny. Your eyes must be better than you think though.

When measured against their total numbers, drivers over 65 are no more prone to accidents than other age groups. They have, in fact, fewer accidents than drivers 16 to 25. And that problem is older unsafe drivers stay on the road because they have no choice. The average Japanese outlives his/her ability to drive by about 10 years. Older people would make good choices if they had good options, but in some areas of Japan, especially in the countryside, there are no good options.

Still a dumb system. Impose a mandatory cognitive as well a reflex/reaction tests on seniors from 70 onwards. In the countryside there are seniors aged 80 plus who are crawling at 15 kph holding up traffic which could lead to accidents as people try to pass them illegally! Many do not turn their light at dusk, they think it has to be pitch black before using their headlights, same issue during fog.

If the government was to provide more public transport in the country old people would not be forced to drive.

How about saving lives first?

Test all drivers over 75 at the licence renewal center with a set of simple tests, if they fail that they have to go through a larger set of testing.

"OK, passed", Me, total disbelief.

Because they were thinking test results + eyeglasses. You couldn't tell him what they were at all, or were you able to with difficulty? Just curious.

As it says above, a cognitive test has been added to the testing process. Those who don't pass it have to go to the doctor for further testing. I think the 'any one who has an accident' means even if they have passed the test previously, if they have an accident they will be retested, not that they're going to wait around for them to have accidents first.

This is huge, because now they will have the right to revoke licenses of people who do not pass the cognitive tests. In 2008 my MIL got her license renewed even though she was in the mid-stages of dementia. We were not going to allow her to test for it, she went behind our backs and got a friend to take her to the testing center. She completely flunked the computer test ("I hit every obstacle on the screen, hahahhaa!") and ran over the curbs and couldn't follow directions on the practical. At that time they were not allowed by law to take away a license, they were only allowed to 'council' people not to drive if they flunked the test. This was very unfair because it forced families to act and take the keys away from dementia patients who were being given their licenses at the center.

It was ridiculous, like something out of an old jidaigekki, to expect the elderly with dementia (in other words, people diminshing logical skills) to get a nice talk from the friendly policeman about not ever driving again because they did badly and expect them to obey it! "You wouldn't want to cause an accident, would you?" You can appeal to the fears in people or appeal to their sense of shame, but only if they are mentally competent!

This is a huge step. If the police won't give you a license, it carries a lot more punch than a lecture from a family member. It makes it official and families will be able to legally dispose of granny's car before she kills someone.

If a patient does have dementia, I don't think taking away their license is likely to stop them driving. Taking away their car keys on the other hand...

If the license is gone, then the family has a valid reason to sell the car. Try getting rid of the car of someone with stage 4 or 5 dementia when they just got their license renewed! 'They gave me a license, that means I can drive!"

In country with record centennials 75 is just as good as 50....so Abe may line up for the test too.