Gaia Series 62: watch over your driving – a new era for senior drivers

As Japan’s population grows, this episode explores the challenges senior drivers face, highlighting innovative solutions, community initiatives and the personal stories behind the statistics.

In this episode of Japan Hour, the focus shifts to Japan’s rapidly aging population and the increasing challenge of older drivers on the road. In Yakuma Town, Hokkaido, the episode opens with a grim scene of a car accident, illustrating the growing problem of traffic incidents involving the elderly. The narrator notes that as the proportion of older citizens increases, the frequency of accidents also increases: in 2023, 71,673 incidents involving older drivers were registered – compared to 67,661 in 2021. This situation has become a major social problem, prompting a national conversation about whether Seniors should lose their driver’s license.

Moving to Ebino City in Miyazaki, the episode captures the realities faced by an aging rural community, where 44 percent of the population is over the age of 65. In such areas, driving is often not a choice but a necessity, as public transportation options are limited are. . At Driving School Ebino Kogen there is a special lesson for drivers over 70 who are renewing their driver’s license. The challenges these older students face become apparent as they perform the basic tasks of driving, struggle to follow signage and remember directions. One participant, an 82-year-old farmer, repeatedly confuses left and right turns during the lesson and admits in frustration, “I think the test is wrong. You have to explain all this clearly at the beginning and then we have to get on our way.’

The episode highlights the personal interests of many older directors. Among the class participants is 81-year-old Masaru Iwasaki, who emphasizes the importance of driving in his daily life: “If I don’t drive, I can’t take my wife to the hospital.” His wife, Emiko, is suffering from the effects of a subarachnoid hemorrhage, and given the scarcity of buses in the city, surrendering his driver’s license would severely limit their mobility. “I’ll be as good as dead,” Iwasaki notes, echoing the sentiment of many rural elders who equate driving skills with their independence and quality of life.

To tackle the increasing number of accidents, the episode shows efforts underway at Ebino Kogen’s driving school, including a practice lesson designed to help older drivers maintain their physical responsiveness. The instructor explains, “People hit the accelerator instead of the brake because they don’t have the speed to switch between the two quickly.” These exercises are designed to improve the responsiveness of the foot joints, a small but crucial measure to help prevent accidents.

The episode then moves to a broader solution: a new system designed to diagnose driving problems in real time. The episode introduces Genext, an accident assessment company founded in 2009. Genext is led by President Hajime Kasahara, who has personally investigated more than 500 traffic accidents. Kasahara’s work began after his father was involved in an accident, initially considered the culprit due to alleged negligence. Through painstaking examination of dashcam footage, Kasahara was able to prove that the other car was traveling at a speed of more than 60 miles per hour, ultimately overturning the negligence finding. This experience motivated Kasahara to develop technologies for more accurate accident assessment.

Kasahara and Genext are now conducting a pilot study in Yokohama City, a region where crashes involving older drivers have increased significantly – from 7.7 percent in 2003 to 22.1 percent in 2023. The study includes older drivers between the ages of 66 and 71 years involved. using an app called AI-Contact to monitor their driving behavior over a 90-day period. The app tracks factors such as speed compliance and stops at intersections, generating a driving skills score for each participant.

One of the participants, 71-year-old Tatsuhiko Koda, shares his perspective: “After I turned 70, I became aware of the need to drive more safely.” Koda, who has worked at an insurance company, is confident in his abilities but welcomes the chance for an objective assessment. During the test, Koda scored an impressive 98.46 percent, showing that despite concerns about declining eyesight, he remains a capable driver. He admits: “I started paying more attention to the speed limits. Until now I just trusted my instincts… But now I try to stick to the rules and keep a close eye on my speed.”

Another participant, 66-year-old Toshimi Usami, often takes her grandsons to and from kindergarten. Encouraged by her son Maki to participate in the study, Usami hopes the data will provide her family with peace of mind. However, her results reveal shortcomings, especially when stopping at intersections, with a compliance rate of only 50 percent. “In my head I make sure I stop at these locations. I’m not careful enough,” Usami admits. After the test, she takes the results to heart and makes conscious efforts to count to three at stop signs to ensure she stops properly.

The episode also features a community-based solution in Miyoshi City, Hiroshima, where automaker Mazda is working to address transportation issues in rural areas with limited public transportation. In this region, more than half of the population is elderly and local bus service is scarce. Mazda has launched the Mutual Support Transportation program, a volunteer-driven initiative in which residents who can drive offer free rides to those who cannot. Shinichiro Yoshida, from Mazda, comments on the significance of the project: “I want to improve people’s lives and their ability to get around… But we can’t do that through technology alone. To make this happen, we must work together with all you are important.”

However, this initiative faces challenges as volunteer drivers themselves age and many express concerns about their ability to continue driving safely. “Your eyesight starts to deteriorate. And you never know what can happen,” says 67-year-old volunteer driver Chihiro Kodama. In response, Mazda is developing a driving irregularity detection system that uses cameras to monitor eye movements and other indicators of cognitive function. This technology, developed in collaboration with Hiroshima University, aims to provide early warnings of impaired driving skills, with the aim of improving road safety for older drivers.

The episode paints a vivid picture of the challenges and solutions surrounding older drivers in Japan. As the country’s population continues to age, initiatives such as Genext’s diagnostic tools and Mazda’s community transportation system are essential steps to ensure older citizens can maintain their independence while keeping the roads safe.