Japan to make driving tests harder for some older motorists

TOKYO: Japan plans to toughen driving tests for motorists aged 75 and above in an effort to reduce fatal accidents involving older drivers, police announced on Thursday. Despite a general decline in traffic fatalities, accidents caused by elderly drivers remain a significant concern, with around 18% of fatal accidents last year involving drivers in this age group, according to the National Police Agency (NPA).

The NPA has recommended additional measures to address this issue, which will involve requiring older motorists with a history of traffic violations to perform extra maneuvers during their practical driving tests. Affected drivers will need to pass a new "direction change" component to demonstrate their ability to use the accelerator and brake pedals correctly.

This plan follows data showing that the current mandatory skills test, introduced in 2022, is insufficient in preventing accidents caused by elderly drivers who may mistakenly press the accelerator instead of the brake pedal. Notable incidents include an 85-year-old man driving a shuttle bus in Nagoya who killed a man and woman in their 30s in May, and an 87-year-old man who killed a three-year-old girl and her mother, and injured nine others, when he pressed the accelerator instead of the brake in 2019.