Dec 18, 2019 (Japan Today) - Japan will oblige domestic automakers to have all new and remodeled passenger cars equipped with automatic brakes from November 2021 amid a rise in the number of traffic accidents involving elderly drivers, the government said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will also apply stricter standards on automatic brake systems compatible with a U.N. international standard that is set to come into effect next month.
"Accidents caused by elderly drivers are a pressing issue that needs to be tackled by mobilizing every possible measure," transport minister Kazuyoshi Akaba told a press conference.
At the same time, Akaba warned of accidents that can be caused by having too much trust in automatic brake systems and reiterated calls for careful driving.
Subject to the ministry's new regulation are new and remodeled cars that are manufactured in Japan and will be sold from November 2021. Models already on the market will be required to be equipped with automatic brake systems from December 2025.
For imported vehicles produced by foreign automakers, new vehicles will be required to be equipped with the brakes from around June 2024 and for existing models from around June 2026, taking into consideration time for manufacturers to prepare.
More than 80 percent of new domestic vehicles have already been equipped with automatic brakes in 2018, according to the ministry.
The new international standard on automatic brakes, compiled in June this year by a committee of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, an affiliate of the U.N. Economic Commission for Europe, will be reflected in Japan's road transport vehicle law.
