Japanese drivers who have voluntarily given up their driving licenses have risen since an older driver hit caused two deaths. He killed a mother with her daughter and injured nine others, including his wife, in Tokyo in 2019.
We recently released an article about this driver, Kozo Iizuka, who will go to prison for five years jail.
According to data from the National Police Agency, the number of drivers who surrendered their licenses in 2019 increased by approximately 180,000 over the year before, to record levels of 600,000. Around 60% of this total amount consists of drivers aged 75 and older.
The 2020 number of license-revocations was around 550,000. This is likely because people were discouraged from visiting authorities to cancel their licenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eight months after the accident, a panel of NPA-appointed experts presented measures to prevent older drivers from being involved in accidents. These drivers were required to pass skill tests on renewing their licenses.
Drivers over 75 years old committing these offenses, such as speeding or ignoring red lights in the last three years, were subject to these skill tests. Road Traffic law made these tests compulsory in June 2020.
A new type of license will be created under the revised law. It allows only those with safety support systems, such as automatic brakes, to drive their vehicles.
A service where self-driving cars transport people along predetermined routes is being tested by the government. This will allow for transportation in rural areas that does not have public transportation.
Also read about a 90 year old bureaucrat jailed for 5 years