Identifying focal points to prevent traffic accidents in Japan and specific measures proposed: Aspects common to Japan and South Korea and suggested preventive measures

Abstract

To further decrease the number of traffic-accident fatalities in Japan, specific measures are necessary to deal with these high numbers; we also speculated that effective measures to prevent traffic accidents in countries that are similar to Japan or have similar circumstances should be ascertained, and the incidence of traffic-accident fatalities in other countries should be compared with that of Japan. We conducted a study to compare the percentage of fatalities during 30-day periods in Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, the UK, Australia, and the US in 2021 (2020 for the US) by using a report from Japan's National Police Agency 4 based on data from the International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD) as of January 23, 2023. We categorized traffic-accident fatalities as "while walking," "while riding a bicycle," "while driving or riding a motorcycle," "while driving or riding in a car or another vehicle," "other," and "unknown." Our analyses of the results identified important focal points regarding the prevention of future traffic accidents in Japan, and we propose specific measures toward this goal. We also identified effective and relevant preventive measures that are used in countries with circumstances that are similar to those of Japan and propose suggestions for effective measures and measures to consider in Japan.The IRTAD data revealed that in Japan, the greatest portion of traffic-accident fatalities occurred to individuals "while walking" (35.4%), followed by "while driving or riding in a car or another vehicle" (21.8%). In South Korea, the majority of these fatalities were also in the "while walking" category (34.9%), followed by "while driving or riding a motorcycle" (22.9%). The traffic-accident fatalities in France occurred most frequently "while driving or riding in a car or another vehicle" (48.0%), followed by "while driving or riding a