WHITE PAPER ON TRAFFIC SAFETY IN JAPAN 2006

Focus
The Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program

Transportation safety policy in Japan has been based on seven consecutive five-year plans known as Fundamental Traffic Safety Programs, which have been drawn up since FY1971. The measures executed in accordance with these plans have aimed to enhance transportation safety in the areas of land, maritime and air transportation. On March 14, 2006, the Central Committee on Traffic Safety Measures adopted the Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program, which established the framework for measures to be executed over the five-year period from FY2006 to FY2010.

In this section, we explain the process by which the new program was adopted and the structure of the plan. We also provide an overview of the program's basic philosophy.

The content of the respective sectors is noted at the beginning of each chapter (section) of the report: land transport (page 15); railway transport (page 41); maritime transport (page 51); and air transport (page 60).

Our Focus sections, entitled “Expediting Measures to Eliminate Grade-Level Crossings” (page 46) and “Comprehensive Safety Measures for Public Transportation” (page 48), include excerpts from the Eighth FTSP.

1 Process of adoption

In February 2005, an expert panel serving under the Central Committee on Traffic Safety Measures (consisting of 20 experts in engineering, education, psychology etc. and chaired by Shigeru Morichi, Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies) began a year-long examination of the issues to be dealt with under the Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program. In September 2005, the panel announced an “Interim Working Draft of the Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program” and called for public comment. In an effort to incorporate voices from as wide a spectrum of the nation as possible, the panel held a public hearing on October 13, where it received testimony directly from interested parties. The central committee then convened a meeting on March 14, 2006, where it formally adopted the plan.

2 Components of the plan

The Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program begins by stating the common philosophy that underlies the measures that have been adopted for all sectors of transportation: land, maritime, and air. It then goes on to discuss the “basic thinking,” “objectives” and “measures (perspectives, and the policies to be enacted)” adopted for each sector: (1) road transport; (2) railway transport; (3) traffic on roads with grade crossings; (4) maritime transport; and (5) air transport.

Most notably, the Eighth FTSP clearly sets forth objectives for each sector and establishes numerical objectives that will be targeted during the period of the plan.

3 Basic philosophy of the Eighth FTSP

In the Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program, a common philosophy is spelled out for all transportation sectors (land, maritime and air); it can be summarized as follows:

• (1) The aim is an accident-free society
  • To build a society that is truly affluent and energetic, the safety and peace of mind of the nation's people are essential. Endeavoring to provide safety in transportation is an important element in this equation.
  • Based on a respect for human life, the nation should ultimately aim for the complete elimination of traffic accidents from society. This is especially true when one considers the enormous social and economic losses that are caused by traffic accidents.
• (2) Giving people precedence
  • In a civilized society, consideration and sympathy must exist for those who are weaker than others.
  • On roads, for example, pedestrians are in a weak position compared to those in automobiles; with respect to all modes of transportation, there is a need to assure greater safety for people who are the most prone to traffic accidents, such as the elderly, the disabled, and children.
  • All policies should be carried out in accordance with this “people first” philosophy of traffic safety.
• (3) Basic thinking governing the execution of traffic safety measures
  • Traffic safety agencies will vigorously pursue their policies while taking into account the interactions among three important elements of transportation society, namely: {1} the people; {2} the means of transportation; i.e., vehicles, vessels, aircraft, or other; and {3} the transportation environment which is to say the spaces where people and means of transportation function.
  • Particularly with respect to road traffic, it will be important to promote further “people first” policies, including improving sidewalks along school routes, residential roads, and major thoroughfares in urban districts.
  • The program will encourage participatory and cooperative-type traffic safety activities, by creating mechanisms that enable citizens to participate in the planning stages of traffic-safety measures run by national and local authorities, by inviting them to take part in volunteer comprehensive safety evaluation programs, and by designing activities that adapt to the characteristics of each community.
• (4) Dealing with the issue of human error in public transportation
  • In all public transportation sectors (land, maritime, and air), those in administrative organizations and those in companies that are providing the services must gain a renewed appreciation of the extreme urgency of assuring safety in their respective sectors. In addition to seriously reexamining all existing traffic safety measures and to reassessing their individual efforts to ensure transportation safety, these persons must investigate what lies behind human error and must develop more effective anti-accident measures from the perspective of improving the organizational structures and overall systems of the companies that are providing transportation services.

Focus
Future Directions in Road Traffic Safety Measures
- From the Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program -

The Seventh Fundamental Traffic Safety Program, which was composed in FY2001 (and covered the period FY2001-FY2005), set as its target decreasing road traffic fatalities to less than 8,466. This goal was achieved in the second year of the program, in 2002. In 2003, therefore, the government established a new policy which sets out to “reduce the number of traffic fatalities to less than 5,000 within a 10-year period, and to create a record of road transportation safety that is second to none in the world.” The government dealt comprehensively with one area in particular, traffic safety measures for the elderly, who account for the largest percentage of fatalities. It based its efforts on a program adopted in March 2003 by the Task Force on Transportation which was called “On Comprehensive Traffic Safety Measures for the Elderly toward the Transition to the Full Scale of Aging Society.”

The number of traffic fatalities continued to decline in 2003, and in 2005 fell below 7,000 for the first time in nearly half a century. Nevertheless, there continue to be large numbers of people killed or injured in traffic accidents. On January 2, 2006, the head of the Task Force on Transportation released a statement indicating the government's continued strong commitment to pursuing comprehensive traffic safety policies.

Future road traffic safety policies will be pursued within the framework of the Eighth Fundamental Traffic Safety Program, which was adopted on March 14, 2006. The new program states the government's intention to redouble its efforts to reduce traffic fatalities, in order to achieve the goals that it set in 2003. It goes on to commit the government to an even more robust effort to reduce the number of accidents per se; and, for the first time since Fundamental Traffic Safety Programs were begun, it establishes numerical objectives for the reduction of traffic casualties. The following is an outline of the discussion on road traffic safety contained in the Eighth FTSP.

1 Basic thinking

• Based on a respect for human life, Japan will aim ultimately to eliminate all traffic accidents from society.
• Clearly, there is a need for further efforts to reduce the number of traffic fatalities, but in addition more robust measures must be adopted to reduce the number of accidents per se.
• Pedestrian deaths as a percentage of total traffic fatalities are higher in Japan than in the United States and Europe. In light of the plan's commitment to a “people first” philosophy in all measures dealing with traffic safety, it will be important for the country to take steps to assure pedestrian safety through improvements to sidewalks etc.

2 Objectives

• By 2012, to reduce traffic fatalities to less than 5,000 and to create a record of road transportation safety that is second to none in the world.
• By 2010, to reduce traffic fatalities to less than 5,500.
• By 2010, to reduce traffic casualties (total deaths and injuries) to less than 1 million.

3 Measures

(1) Perspectives

• {1} Responding to declining birthrates and an aging society

  The rate of traffic fatalities among elderly persons is extremely high in Japan compared to those in other countries, and the graying of society will continue rapidly to increase hereafter. In light of this situation, it is indispensable to establish a transportation society in which elderly persons will be able to go out and travel safely and with peace of mind.

  To build such an environment, the government will have to pursue traffic safety measures that are both detailed and comprehensive, basing them on the widely varied realities that characterize today's elderly population. Differences in their modes of transportation must also be considered, so that, for example, distinctions can be made between the elderly who mainly walk or use bicycles and those who drive automobiles. Keeping these differences in mind, Japan must then develop measures that reflect an understanding of the differing characteristics of these two groups of people. This is important particularly with respect to the latter group, for it is widely expected that the number of elderly drivers will increase sharply hereafter. Clearly, devising stronger measures to prevent traffic accidents among the elderly is an urgent issue.

  While dealing with the concerns of a progressively aging society, Japan must also consider the problem of declining birthrates. The task here is to create a society in which people feel no reservations about having children and about bringing them up safely. In addressing this issue, the nation must not only look for ways to make society safer in terms of crime prevention but also must devise traffic safety measures that seek ways to protect children from accidents.

  In this regard, the country must push forward boldly on programs that provide better sidewalks and other walking spaces along school routes and other roads.

  
  Traffic education for elderly drivers

• {2} Establishing improved pedestrian safety

  In Japan, pedestrian fatalities account for over 30% of all traffic-related deaths, which is high in comparison to Europe and the United States. Most notably, the rate of pedestrian deaths to total traffic fatalities is around 50% for elderly persons and approximately 40% for children under 16 years old.

  To create a society that is safe and bestows peace of mind on its citizens, there is no greater need than to protect pedestrians who are in a vulnerable position compared to those in automobiles. For elderly persons and children, this need is particularly acute in areas around neighborhood roads. Faced with these conditions, the country must adopt policies that meet these needs, including by taking greater initiative to provide safer spaces for walking. This will entail, among other things, improving sidewalks along school routes, residential roads, and major thoroughfares in urban districts.

  
  Safe pedestrian spaces

• {3} Raising people's awareness

  Every Japanese citizen who participates in the transportation society, including public officials who administer our transportation systems and those who provide transportation services, must become fully aware of the danger of traffic accidents. With the aim of building an accident-free society, each person must then remind him or herself of the need for vigilance against either causing a traffic accident or become involved in one.

  Encouraging this kind of awareness will require that the nation enhance traffic safety education programs and organize more and better public-information and awareness-raising activities. However, unilateral measures will have only a limited impact. Instead of simply providing information and urging action, traffic safety agencies must succeed in encouraging large numbers of citizens to feel that they can build a safe and secure transportation society on their own accord.

  Toward this end, the nation will need to establish mechanisms that enable citizens to take an active part in building a safe and secure transportation society. For example, through involvement in local communities or organizations, residents can gain an awareness of the issues facing their communities, can establish their own concrete objectives and policies, and can take part directly in various activities relating to traffic safety. Local governments have a role to play in this process, by helping to devise related mechanisms that are suitable to the circumstances in their communities.

  
  Traffic safety classes based on participation, experience and practice

• {4} Utilizing IT

  The information society is moving ahead in leaps and bounds. In this environment, building a safe and secure transportation society will hinge significantly on the effective use of information. Information technology (IT) can make major contributions in certain areas, such as in supplementing human capabilities and activities (perception, judgment, etc.), in overriding mistakes that occur because of human inattentiveness, and in minimizing the damage caused by such mistakes.

  It is now possible to use IT to build systems in which people, roads and vehicles are components of a unified whole. Such systems, known as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), will be increasingly deployed because they make possible the following kinds of advances: [1] improved driving safety through information that compensates for delayed hazard recognition by drivers; [2] improved vehicle safety through collision avoidance technologies; [3] increasingly advanced traffic control technologies; and [4] expedited rescue and emergency medical activities.

(2) Measures to be implemented

• {1} Improving the road traffic environment

  The policies executed to date, which have dealt mainly with automobiles, have brought about a certain amount of success in improving traffic safety. Hereafter, these measures will have to be supplemented by policies that deal with the changing social situation, principally those related to an aging population and declining birthrates. To build a transportation society in which children are protected from accidents and in which the elderly can step out of their homes safely and with peace of mind, the nation will have to adopt stronger “people first” measures, which focus primarily on improving the road traffic environment by providing safe and secure walking spaces. Greater efforts will thus be made to improve sidewalks along school routes, residential roads, and major thoroughfares in urban districts.

• {2} Dissemination and reinforcement of traffic safety messages

  Encouraging a change of consciousness so that all citizens begin to view traffic safety as a personal responsibility will be an important issue. Toward that end, the nation will carry out step-by-step and systematic programs of education for all members of the public, from young children to adults. In addition, it will aim to foster a greater awareness of the importance of traffic safety among the elderly themselves. The methodology of these programs will be heavily oriented toward participation, experience and practice. In these programs, coordinators will encourage community participation while working closely with other coordinators.

• {3} Ensuring safe driving practices

  Much more can be done to enhance driver education, including in the area of education for elderly drivers. In addition to further efforts in this area, measures will be adopted to provide more comprehensive information about road traffic through the effective utilization of IT.

• {4} Ensuring greater vehicle safety

  While taking steps to further the development and maturation of measures aimed at reducing injuries, the nation will increasingly pursue measures that focus on utilizing advanced technologies in the area of preventative safety, where the point is to help drivers avoid accidents in the first place.

• {5} Maintaining order on the roads

  By carefully analyzing the circumstances surrounding traffic accidents, a clearer understanding can be gained of the particularly egregious violations that lead directly to deadly and other serious traffic accidents. Based on this analysis, the nation will adopt measures to enforce and crackdown on the most malicious, dangerous, and annoying of these violations.

• {6} Improving rescue and emergency services systems

  While taking steps to ensure continued close collaboration and cooperation among emergency service agencies, the government will adopt measures aimed at improving the ability of local agencies to deliver rescue and emergency services and emergency medical care. One special area of attention will be expanding the number of people capable of providing first aid at the scene.

• {7} Promoting programs to support accident victims, beginning with the establishment of greater fairness in compensation for damages

  In accordance with the Basic Act on Crime Victims, policies to support accident victims will be comprehensively and systematically promoted.

• {8} Improving capabilities in research and development and investigation and analysis

  In addition to supporting further research and development on the three elements of traffic safety, namely people, roads and vehicles, the nation will adopt measures to support programs of comprehensive investigation and analysis.

<A Secure Society: Let's Take a Walk>

Safe and secure walking spaces resulting from sidewalk improvement programs provide an inviting atmosphere for walks

Focus
Sidewalk Development:Providing People-First Walking Spaces that Offer Safety and Bestow Peace of Mind

In FY2005, the number of road traffic fatalities declined below 7,000 for the first time in 49 years (since 1956). Still, the percentage of pedestrian deaths to the total number of traffic fatalities was high in comparison to Europe and the United States. Hence, taking steps to assure the safety of those who are in a weak position compared to those in automobiles will remain an important traffic safety issue hereafter.

In this section, we review the current situation of pedestrian accidents in Japan and describe steps that are being taken to improve sidewalks and other facilities. The report then goes on to describe the policies that the nation will promote hereafter to develop walking spaces that will offer greater safety to pedestrians.

1 Traffic accidents involving pedestrians and status of sidewalk development projects

(1) The current state of pedestrian accidents

{1} Compared to Europe and the United States, pedestrian fatalities in Japan make up a high percentage of total traffic deaths. Moreover, the number of pedestrian deaths is high on a per capita basis.

{2} The trends of recent years show that the rate of decline in fatalities is lower for pedestrians than for occupants of automobiles.

{3} The data by age and mode of transportation show that the proportions of pedestrian fatalities are high especially among children and elderly persons.

{4} The data on fatalities by mode of transportation and by type of road indicates that pedestrian fatalities along major thoroughfares (roads for exclusive use by automobiles; national roads, excluding expressways; prefectural roads) are higher than those along residential roads (municipal roads etc.). However, when looking at the ratios of deaths on residential roads in terms of mode of transportation, the ratio in pedestrian fatalities is higher than that in fatalities to occupants of automobiles (“automobiles” referring here also to motorcycles and mopeds).

{5} Accidents where cars hit pedestrians frequently occur when pedestrians are crossing the street.

(2) Improvements for sidewalks etc

{1} Roads with newly constructed sidewalks etc.

Over the past 10 years, the length of roads along which sidewalks etc. (including paths for joint use by pedestrians and bicyclists, and bike paths) have been constructed increased by 35,693 km (an increase of approximately 30%). The increase along municipal roads was 21,668 km (an increase of approximately 40%).

{2} Along school routes, the nation has been seeking to ensure safe commutes by children to and from schools by giving priority to sidewalk improvements along such routes through increasing subsidy rates⁷. Consequently the rate of development of sidewalks etc. along such roads is higher than along other roads.