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Elderly Drivers In Japan Could Be Limited To Vehicles With Automatic Braking (japantimes.co.jp)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the pulling-out-all-the-stops dept.

AmiMoJo writes: Japan's National Police Agency has proposed several new rules to regulate elderly drivers, including limiting them to vehicles with automatic braking systems to increase public safety. "The panel was tasked with finding ways to mitigate the risks associated with dementia, poor vision and deteriorating physical strength associated with seniors," reports the Japan Times. "Deadly traffic accidents caused by people 75 or older are on the rise, though fatal accidents overall are on the decline." Automatic braking systems apply the car's brakes if a collision is imminent. Separately Japanese authorities are offering elderly drivers who give up their licenses a discount on their funerals.

2 of 148 comments (clear)

  1. This should be expanded to all drivers by roubles · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Its not just the elderly. Teenagers. Distracted drivers. Epileptics. Narcoleptics. Suddenly incapacitated people (heart attacks, strokes). Drunk drivers. Texters. Everyone would benefit from cars that maintain their lanes and automatically brake. This is technology we already have and we already mass produce. This rule should, and most likely will, be expanded to all drivers in all cars - all the time.

    Elon Musk: "In the distant future, I think people may outlaw driving cars because it's too dangerous. You can't have a person driving a two-ton death machine."

    Its happening.

  2. Wrong Direction by AlanObject · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Why not mandate this for all vehicles?

    Are we trying to preserve the right for a privileged demographic to crash into things?