Road traffic crashes and fatalities in Japan 2000-2010 with special reference to the elderly road user.

Objective: To investigate comparative road user crash and fatality rates in Japan between 2000 and 2010 in the elderly and young.

Methods: Data from the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Vital Statistics Database and the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis were used to calculate crash rates by age group, vehicle, and license category.

Results: Fatal crash rates per 100,000 licensed drivers for 4-wheeled motor vehicle drivers decreased by 53, 56, and 42 percent among the 65-69, 70-74, and ≥75 age groups between 2000 and 2010, respectively, compared to 66 and 60 percent among the 16-19 and 20-24 age groups, respectively. Fatal crash rates per 100,000 licensed riders for 2-wheeled motor vehicles decreased by 64, 23, and 33 percent in the 65-69, 70-74, and ≥75 age groups, respectively. Similarly, fatal crash rates per million population among bicyclists and pedestrians decreased in all age groups but were highest in the elderly age group in all years; the annual fatal crash rate for elderly pedestrians was 3 to 10 times higher than that for younger pedestrians.

Conclusions: Despite the overall decrease in the elderly crash and fatal crash rates in all road use categories, elderly pedestrians are more susceptible to road traffic crashes and are more likely to be killed than younger persons. Further research may reduce this risk.