As one of the countries with the oldest population in the world, Japan has a headache finding solutions to "difficult problems", the elderly drive.

Japan is known as one of the countries with the most efficient and safe public transport system in the world, but it is also the country where people own many private cars, with nearly 80 million cars circulating. This is the country with the "oldest" population in the world, with one fifth of the population aged 70 and older. How to minimize traffic accidents as the population ages is always a headache for Japanese authorities.

In 2018, the proportion of serious traffic accidents caused by drivers aged 75 and older in Japan increased to 14.8%, compared to 8.7% in 2008, although last year, the total number of deaths. due to traffic accidents across Japan at the lowest level since 1948.

According to a Japanese government report in June this year, drivers 75 and older caused more fatal accidents than younger drivers in 2018. Specifically, those over 75 caused 8, 2 serious accidents per 100,000 people in traffic. This is about 2.4 times the number of people aged 74 and under driving.

Drivers over the age of 75 in the country must take a cognitive test every 3 years before applying for a driver license extension. Not to mention that there are suggestions that older people should only drive cars equipped with advanced automatic brakes.

But despite efforts to find a safe solution, there does not appear to be a satisfactory solution for the elderly to drive safely. "You cannot say that at one point X, someone will obey the law of age, because they themselves may experience specific functional impairments," said Alana, the disability coordinator. and rehabilitation by the World Health Organization (WHO). The risk of the elderly dying in a car accident is also higher, possibly due to an increased age-related sensitivity.

Policy experts say it is necessary to consider the possibility of revoking licenses for everyone of a certain age to ensure community safety. However, this may be subject to age discrimination laws.

Japan is now mixing policies and new technologies to find a solution to the problem of elderly drivers in the country. It is not simple to ask elderly members of families in any country, says expert Toshiko Kaneda, senior research at the Department of Population Reference, a non-profit organization in Washington DC. America.

"It's important to take steps to provide public safety support, and show respect to older drivers," Kaneda said.

In Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Toyota's quality advisor and salesman Tomomi Makino once witnessed the feelings of the elderly Japanese when they gave up driving. She also blogged her experiences with older clients and said many of these customers chose to voluntarily give up their driver licenses. In that case, car dealers will send people to the customer's home to buy the car back.

Many older Japanese enjoy preferential treatment from government welfare policies, such as discounted taxis and buses. However, having to give up driving still makes them have their own feelings. Makino said an elderly customer called her to inform him that he would cancel his driver's license and wanted her to bring him home. "I should stop before I hurt someone," the elderly customer told Makino over the phone. And when Makino came to see, he cried.

"Many people easily suggest that the elderly should be deprived of a driver's license, but let's not forget their feelings. Cars and drivers have become an essential part of their lives," she said. talk.

In 2017, more than 400,000 elderly people in Japan dropped their driving licenses, the highest number since the program was launched in 1998, according to the Japanese National Police.

But Hidenori Arai, chairman of the Japan Center for Geriatric Diseases and Aging, says the increase in the number of elderly people who quit driving licenses is not a good trend. According to Arai, in a country where about 5 million people suffer from dementia, it's best to take regular cognitive tests for older drivers and retrain driving skills to extend the duration. their helm.

In recent years, Japanese car and technology companies have stepped up research on self-driving taxis, with particular emphasis on helping older people. Self-driving car tests are started in Japan in 2016, in uninhabited areas or in small, coastal towns and rural areas. Many parts of the world have tested this model. However, turning the idea into a practical solution will take years.

In a shorter-term solution, in addition to regular cognitive tests, the Japanese police tried to issue a "limited driver's license" for people with impaired cognitive function or driving skills. .

These people are allowed to drive, but only certain types of vehicles, with special safety assistance, for example, with automatic braking. A common cause in fatal traffic accidents caused by older drivers is the wrong brake pedal with the accelerator pedal.

Car companies are also working on new cars that will meet the needs of the elderly. In October this year, Toyota launched a compact two-seater electric vehicle designed for short distances, 60 km / h, aimed at the target of older drivers.

For years, Japan has asked for special identification labels on cars of new drivers and elderly drivers. These stickers help alert other drivers on the road. However, according to WHO Alana staff, the government needs more comprehensive solutions to help older drivers adapt to life and maintain driving longer.

"For some old people, cars and drivers can be memories. Older people today are seeing the development of the auto industry, they may be one of the first classes of people to get a driver's license." cars in the 1960s and 70s, "says Kaneda expert. "It was an era."