Japan addresses elderly mobility safety amid rising accident rates

Japan is facing increasing safety concerns regarding elderly mobility, highlighted by recent fatal accidents involving electric wheelchairs (senior cars) and elderly drivers.

In Fukui Prefecture, two elderly individuals were killed in separate accidents involving electric wheelchairs in June and July. Under Japanese traffic law, electric wheelchairs meeting specific size and speed criteria are classified as pedestrians. Police advise users to use sidewalks or the right edge of the road when sidewalks are unavailable. National data shows that over 50% of accidents involving electric wheelchairs occur while crossing roads.

Concurrently, there is a growing social focus on the risks posed by elderly drivers. Statistics from the National Police Agency indicate that fatal accidents involving drivers aged 75 and older are more than twice as frequent as those involving younger drivers, often due to pedal or steering errors. To address the challenges of driver's license surrender and the high cost of transport, new initiatives like the ‘Oya Taxi Ticket’ service have emerged. This service provides physical taxi vouchers as gifts from children to parents, aiming to encourage the use of professional transport services over private vehicles to mitigate accident risks.