Japanese police are trying to coax elderly drivers from behind the wheel with offers of cheap meals, as the nation confronts a worrying rise in accidents involving older motorists.
Under a scheme launched last week in Aichi Prefecture, elderly drivers are to be given discounts on ramen noodles at 176 outlets of the Sugakiya restaurant chain, but only after they surrender their driver’s license.
The move comes after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for more action to address the steep rise in road accidents, some of them fatal, caused by drivers in the over-74 age group.
Although the overall number of traffic accidents has declined, those involving drivers aged 75 and over has risen from 7.4 percent to 12.8 percent over the past decade, according to the national police agency.
In a reflection of Japan’s rapidly aging population, an estimated 17 million Japanese aged 65 or over hold driver’s licenses. Of those, 4.8 million are over 75 — compared with 2.4 million in 2005.
Many accidents involve drivers mistaking the accelerator for the brake and driving the wrong way along motorways after entering via interchanges and toll booths.
Sometimes those mistakes can prove fatal.
This month, an 83-year-old woman lost control of her car and accidentally accelerated, killing two pedestrians. At the end of last month, an 87-year-old man driving a truck hit a group of children as they were walking to school, killing a six-year-old boy.
Local media reported that older drivers in Aichi Prefecture are now entitled to ramen discounts after presenting their driving record certificate, which they receive from police in return for handing in their license.
A set meal of ramen, rice and salad costs just ¥500 (US$4.44), a 15 percent discount.
Other parts of the prefecture are using similar incentives, including discounts at sento public baths, barbers and chemists, plus lower taxi fares.
So far this year, before the ramen concession was introduced, 12,000 drivers in the prefecture had taken advantage of the schemes.
A similar campaign in Tokyo awards “graduation” certificates to retiring drivers in recognition of their decades behind the wheel, according to Rocket News 24.
Holders are reportedly entitled to discounts on bus and taxi fares.
Nationwide, about 270,000 people surrendered their licenses in the past year, but that is still only a tiny proportion of the total number of older motorists.
This month, Taa Shinen, a 97-year-old Buddhist priest, led by example by publicly handing in his driver’s license to police.
“I hope you will surrender your driver’s license and live to the end of your natural lives,” he said in comments aimed at fellow older drivers, according to the Jiji news Web site. “Even if I’m careful about driving safely, there’s a chance I could cause an accident. It’s stupid to try to maintain your licenses just out of pride.”
From March, drivers aged over 74 who are stopped for traffic violations, or show signs of memory loss or impaired judgement during regular cognitive ability tests, are to be referred to a doctor.
Those found to be displaying symptoms of dementia — a condition that affects 4.6 million Japanese — are to have their licenses suspended or revoked.
However, the measures have raised concern that elderly people living in rural areas with little public transport could find themselves isolated if they are no longer able to drive.
More than a quarter of Japan’s 127 million people are 65 or older, with the proportion projected to rise to 40 percent by 2060.
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