Tokyo, 8 July, /AJMEDIA/
Japan will require all new automatic passenger cars to have technology to prevent drivers from accelerating unintentionally by hitting the gas pedal instead of the brake, according to the transport ministry.
With the country facing a rapidly aging population, it is hoped the new rule will curb traffic accidents, often committed by elderly drivers, in line with new U.N. regulations expected to take effect in June next year.
“Japan has been proposing to make it an international standard since 2022,” transport minister Tetsuo Saito said at a press conference in late June.
“We will prepare for the new regulations and strive to improve the safety of cars,” he said, without specifying the precise timing of the requirement’s introduction.
The technology will suppress acceleration, meaning even if the driver fully steps down on the accelerator pedal 1 to 1.5 meters away from a sizeable object, the car will stop before hitting it or slow to less than 8 kilometers per hour if a collision is unavoidable.
When the technology is activated, an in-vehicle display will also show a warning, such as, “Step off the accelerator pedal,” according to the ministry.
The ministry will revise its ordinances after the U.N. regulations are formally agreed upon in November this year, requiring new automatic models to install the technology first before having it expanded into new cars for existing models.
Stick-shift cars are exempt from the new rule as they are less likely to cause accidents resulting from stepping on the wrong pedal, according to the ministry.
Most new cars in Japan are already equipped with similar technology, and some automakers are also selling products that can be retrofitted into existing cars.
According to the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis, Japan saw 3,110 traffic accidents caused by drivers mistaking the gas pedal for the brake in 2023, leading to 38 deaths and 4,343 injuries.
