The number of deadly traffic accidents caused by automobile and motorcycle drivers age 75 or over in Japan in 2022 rose by 33 from the preceding year to 379, National Police Agency data showed Thursday.
Of all fatal traffic accidents last year, those caused by elderly drivers accounted for 16.7%, up from 15.1% in 2021 and the highest level since data became available in 1986, with the proportion hitting a record high for the second straight year.
The NPA estimates that one of the reasons behind the rise is an increase in the population of people age 75 or over with driver’s licenses, with baby boomers, or those born between 1947 and 1949, starting to reach that age.
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